Kelly Clarkson’s repackaged Breakaway

When judge Simon Cowell was asked who among the winners of the reality show American Idol has the best voice, he promptly replied Kelly Clarkson. And he has been proven right. Not only because Kelly was the winner of the first season of the very popular talent show but also because she has proven herself truly worthy of the title with her continued and even bigger success. The truth is American Idol only opens the doors. It lays the groundwork for the early part of the winners’ careers. After that, the rest will be all up to them.

It became up to Kelly when the time came for her to record her crucial second album. It has to be a hit, one that will hopefully approximate the success of her debut Thankful or be even bigger. To the surprise of everybody, Kelly, instead of playing it safe with songs similar to A Moment Like This, Before Your Love and Miss Independent, made what many perceived as a risky move. She will no longer be the sweet ingenue but a full-fledged rock diva. Think Avril and Amy Lee instead of Mariah or Shania. Why, she even titled the second album Breakaway. You know, like break away from whatever.

Well, rocker chick must have been what Kelly was all along because she could never have worn the new image like real skin if she were only faking it. Rock is not merely music. It is a lifestyle with the attitude to go with it and rocker Kelly has everything down pat. Breakaway emerged as one of last year’s most important albums with critics all agog over what the new Kelly delivered and fans even more enthralled with her magnificent, expressive voice.

Breakaway has been in the market for over a year. It has spent most of that time in the Top 10 of the charts and produced one hit single after another, Breakaway, Behind These Hazel Eyes, Since U Been Gone and Because of You. It is doubtful if she will release more singles, four is more than enough for an album. But if she does, there are likely No. 1 sellers in Addicted, Hear Me and the live recorded Beautiful Disaster.

When 2005 ended Kelly had Grammy nominations for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album for Breakaway. The album is now at No. 12 in Billboard Magazine’s list of Top 200 albums while the newest single Because of You is at No. 16 in the Hot 100 Singles Chart. This is quite a feat considering that Breakaway has been out for 57 weeks. Truth to tell, it is the oldest album in the Top 20 hit list these days.

This accomplishment must be what prompted the release of the repackaged edition of Breakaway. This sells for a steep P450 but Kelly fans must have already worn out their first copies of Breakaway and are ready to buy another one. It includes all the songs in the original album and comes with an Enhanced CD which contains remixes of Since U Been Gone, Behind These Hazel Eyes, Breakaway, Because of You, Miss Independent and Hear Me, plus the videos of Since U Been Gone, Behind These Hazel Eyes and Because of You.

First hits of the New Year

And now here are the first hits of the new year according to Billboard. First the singles: Laffy Taffy by D4L; Run It! by Chris Brown; Photograph by Nickelback; Gold Digger by Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx; Grillz by Nelly featuring Paul Wall, Ali & Gipp; My Humps by The Black Eyed Peas; Don’t Forget About Us by Mariah Carey; Stickwitu by The Pussycat Dolls; Dance Dance by Fall Out Boy; and Check On It by Beyoncé featuring Slim Thug.

The albums: Unpredictable by Jamie Foxx; The Breakthrough by Mary J. Blige; Curtain Call: The Hits by Eminem; Duets: The Final Chapter by The Notorious B.I.G.;

Some Hearts by latest American Idol Carrie Underwood; Now 20 by Various Artists; All the Right Reasons by Nickelback; The Emancipation of Mimi by Mariah Carey; Monkey Business by The Black Eyed Peas; and Chris Brown by Chris Brown.

Postscript on AI

Speaking of American Idol, the fifth season is set to begin next week. So we will once more laugh at the wannabes because we do not have the guts to try, check out Paula’s earrings and manicure, wince at Simon’s barbs and appreciate Randy for his level-headed presence.