Kelly Clarkson first shot to fame as the original American Idol back in September 2002 which then fuelled the craze for England’s own version of Pop Idol and X Factor. At just 20 years old it was a massive accomplishment to fight off every other wannabe in America to become the public’s first choice. Breakaway is her second album having been released in 2004 in America and 2005 over here, her first one “Thankful” was released back in 2003 shortly after she first hit the charts. Kelly Clarkson’s style is a mixture of quirky rock and more fundamental pop, her first album definitely steered towards the latter while her latest album sees her finding her feet more firmly within the rock field. However don’t let that put you off listening to her as this album holds a real eclectic assortment, from ballads resembling the sultry sweet tones of Delta Goodrem to the swinging rock tones of Avril Lavinge or Gwen Stefani.

Breakaway is the first track on the album which was also her first single to be taken from it, needless to say it flew in at Number 1 over in America. It’s quite slow and smooth to start with but sets the mood for the rest of the album with a strong crescendo towards the chorus and some fabulously emotive lyrics, “I’ll spread my wings and I’ll learn how to fly, I’ll do what it takes till I touch the sky, Make a wish, Take a Chance, Make a Change and breakaway.” The backing music is surprisingly soothing and it is quite a soft natured song, it had the effect on me of uplifting my mood so here’s hoping it does the same for everyone. This is followed by Since U Been Gone which is her latest release over in England and has received fairly high air play too. It’s got a lot of drive and passion behind it that much is clear to see, of course the general gist of the song is defined by the title but thankfully it’s not a soppy ballad. Instead I found an up-tempo song with a brilliant under beat on the guitars and some fabulous lyrics which really give the song a rock feel to it, “But since you’ve been gone, I can breathe for the first time.” For once it’s refreshing not to find a negative song about a relationship break up but one that actually seems to have empowered the individual.

Behind These Hazel Eyes does continues on the rock theme with some fantastic backing music giving the song a real rock feel while again the lyrics convey a message so simply yet so effectively, “Now I can’t breathe, No I can’t sleep, I’m barely hanging on, Here I am once again, I’m torn into pieces.” Because Of You is possibly my favourite track on the album, I can tell this as it’s the one I’ve had on replay for most of the day! The mood of the CD changes somewhat here, with a slight break from the buoyant feel of the previous tracks. Instead we find a solemn, almost downbeat track which is slightly toned-down but despite this it is not all dismal, “Because of you I find it hard to trust not only me but everyone around me, Because of you I am afraid.” This track is probably the closest to a ballad that you’re going to find and was co-written by Clarkson herself showing that she does indeed have talent. This is also a song that I think may best portray the versatility of her voice in that she demonstrates both softer tones as well as louder ones. Gone is the fifth track on the album and reiterates the most passionate and stormy first couple of tracks on the album. It’s got a real rock and roll feeling to it, it’s almost jumpy as the lyrics seem slightly disjointed yet insistent at the same time, which again conveys the message that is entailed by the lyrics.

Addicted is up next and really reminded me of a Pink track when it first opened, not sure if I just associated the title with one of her former tracks. There’s very little music at the start providing an almost acoustic opening to the track. The general story told by this track again reverts to the love theme that is so dominating in the music world but for once it’s not all doom and gloom, nor is it completely hopeful like some tracks. It’s not one of my favourite tracks on the album as the beat throughout is fairly slow but it’s heartfelt certainly. Where is Your Heart follows and is another softly sung ballad and reminded me of Delta Goodrem when I first heard it. She’s got that same kind of angel tones to it and the lyrics are reflective and slightly similar to some of Goodrem’s songs in the past, “I don’t understand, Your love is so cold, It’s always me who’s reaching out for your hand.”

Following on from the sombre mood of the past tracks we have Walk Away which is quirky and almost seems to lack coherence due to the jumpy feel of the song. It’s an easy to listen to track with a great vibe to it and again doesn’t dwell on the negatives of love despite the general gist lying within this field. You Found Me has an almost hollow feel to it at the start, almost melodic, choir sense to it before the powerful chorus which again re-echoes the rocker feel to it. It reminded me slightly of something that would be more likely to appear on an Amy Studt or Michelle Branch track than a Kelly Clarkson album. I Hate Myself For Loosing You is a brilliant track which is full of remorse and the only one on the album that seems to sound a little pessimistic but due to the loudness and strength of the chorus it’s hard to remain on this note for long, “I hate myself for loosing you, I’m seeing it all so clear, I hate myself for loosing you, What do you do when you look in the mirror and I’m staring at you it’s why you’re not here.” It’s surely a song that the majority of us will be able to relate to in some way and again makes a classic track to play during a break up!

The final three tracks, surprisingly, didn’t let me down at all. I always find that as the album draws to a close the weaker tracks seem to appear more frequently yet this isn’t the case with Breakaway. Beautiful Disaster is a superbly sung ballad which is recorded live on the album and is a bonus track on the UK version, lucky us! Miss Independent follows next and was her first release after winning the American Idol which obviously went straight in at number 1 and features on her first album too. It certainly shows the contrast between her old and new found style as it has a much more R n B, naïve feel to it compared to the more mature sounding Clarkson we hear on this album. Finally we have Low, “Have you ever been low, Have you ever had a friend that lets you down so, When the truth came out were you the last to know.” It’s clearly a song about betrayal of some sorts and as it was again co-written by Clarkson herself it makes it all the more personal.

I’d give this album 10 out of 10 without a doubt, thankfully there’s no loving or sickly sentiment to the majority of the songs which is unusual for a young female artist. Although the album does feature heavily on the love theme and contains songs about betrayal, break up and pain she manages to do it in a way that won’t have you weeping into your sleeve but will often ring a bell with you. There’s also a variation of songs on the album, some slow ballads, some very upbeat rock style tracks and a few more middle of the road sounds too. It’ll certainly not be one that you get bored of and really does have something on it for most tastes in music. With regard to the symbolic title of Breakaway she certainly has broken away from any preconceived ideas about her being just another pop idol that sticks her feet firmly within the safe walls of cheesy pop or r n b. I personally feel that her vocal talents could match any of today’s large music stars as she did have to fight off the whole of America to make it here!

The album currently retails at £8.99 on Amazon or £8.75 from CdWow. If you’re a fan of Ashlee Simpson or Avril Lavinge then it’s a must buy for you, but even if you prefer something a little more pop orientated like Charlotte Church or Gwen Stefani I’d still recommend you give her a go!