Kelly Clarkson - Wasting Kisses (2011)

After winning American Idol in 2002, Kelly Clarkson released her debut album, 'Thankful' in 2003, which showed strong commercial success and established her as a rising pop vocalist. In 2004 she began shifting toward a more rock-influenced sound while preparing her next album, and 2004's 'Breakaway' became her commercial and critical peak of the decade, winning two Grammy Awards, including Best Pop Vocal Album. In 2007 she released 'My December', which was a darker, more personal rock album, and it was at this time that she famously fought for artistic control, which caused tension with her label. Though less commercially successful than 'Breakaway', 'My December' was praised for its authenticity and songwriting depth. Her fourth album, 'All I Ever Wanted' appeared in 2009, and marked a return to a more mainstream pop-rock sound, and it included the hit 'My Life Would Suck Without You', which broke the record for the biggest jump to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2011 she released 'Mr. Know It All', the lead single from her upcoming album 'Stronger', which signalled a shift toward soulful pop and inspirational themes, and over the course of these five records Clarkson transitioned from reality-show winner to internationally recognized pop-rock star. During the sessions for these albums there were often tracks left over, and so over the years she has built up a vault of unused recordings which have yet to see the light of day, so here is a collection of the best of them from the early years of her career.  

Track listing

01 With A Little Bit Of Luck
02 Close Your Eyes
03 Can We Go Back
04 So Far Apart
05 Empty Handed
06 Don't Ever Give Up On Me
07 Call Me
08 Where Are You Now
09 Wash Rinse Repeat
10 One Day
11 Wasting Kisses
12 I Remember
13 Cleopatra
14 Whoever Did That Wasn't Me
15 After The Love

Kelly Clarkson - A Little Bit Country (2022)

Kelly Brianne Clarkson was born on 24 April 1982 in Fort Worth, Texas, grew up in Burleson, Texas and was educated at Pauline Hughes Middle School. In the seventh grade, the school's choir teacher, Cynthia Glenn, overheard her singing in a hallway and asked her to audition for the school choir, and she also performed in several musicals, such as 'Annie Get Your Gun', 'Seven Brides For Seven Brothers', and 'Brigadoon'. After graduating from high school, she declined full scholarships to three universities, saying that she wanted to try and make it in the music business on her own. She worked several jobs to finance a demo, recording material and trying to market it to record labels, but received little response. She turned down two recording contracts from Jive Records and Interscope Records, afraid that they would have pigeonholed her as a bubblegum act, and in 2001 she travelled to Los Angeles, pursuing a career in music. Upon returning to Burleson, Clarkson was encouraged by her friends to audition for the first season of the reality television series 'American Idol: The Search For A Superstar' in May 2002, going on to win the competition on 4 September. Immediately after winning American Idol, Clarkson was signed to a record deal with RCA Records, 19 Recordings, and S Records by talent manager Simon Fuller, who created American Idol, and music mogul Clive Davis, who was slated to executive-produce her debut album. She released her chart-topping debut single, 'A Moment Like This', which became the best-selling single of the year in the US, and her R&B and gospel-influenced debut album, 'Thankful' was released in 2003, and entered the US Billboard 200 at number one. 

She shifted genres to pop rock for 'Breakaway' in 2004, which was one of the 21st century's best-selling albums, but after the lukewarm reception to 2007's 'My December', with its darker rock music, Clarkson returned to radio-friendly pop rock sounds with 'All I Ever Wanted' in 2009, and 'Stronger' in 2011, which each produced number-one singles, in 'My Life Would Suck Without You' and 'Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)' respectively. She ventured into Christmas music with 'Wrapped In Red' in 2013, following that with the release of the number-one album 'Piece By Piece' in 2015, and she then signed with Atlantic Records, where she recorded three further albums. In 2018 she returned to television as a coach on 'The Voice' for nine seasons, and since 2019 she has hosted her own talk show, 'The Kelly Clarkson Show'. During the 'Kellyoke' section of her television show Clarkson often covered country songs, and she has even released a couple of duets with country singers as singles, but despite the various genres in which she has recorded, she has yet to make a country album. Fans are convinced that it's a genre that she would excel at, and so by using various singles, out-takes, demos, alternate takes, live recordings, and a few 'Kellyoke' offerings, I've put together Kelly Clarkson's very own country album. 

Track listing

01 Soap And Water
02 Because Of You (feat. Reba McEntire)
03 Feel It Coming On
04 Don't Rush (feat. Vince Gill)
05 Never Again, Again (Interlude) 
06 Mrs Right
07 Mr. Know It All
08 Why Haven't I Heard From You
09 Any Man Of Mine (Interlude)
10 Blue Bayou
11 Fancy
12 Don't You Wanna Stay
13 How Blue (Interlude)
14 I'm Movin' On (feat. Rascal Flatts)
15 You're Drunk Go Home (feat. Kelsea Ballerini & Carly Pearce)