Kelly Clarkson is out for blood.
When the singer announced that she had a divorce album on the way, she promised that the album would encompass “the good, the bad, and the ugly” to represent “the curve of the whole relationship.”
But “Chemistry” (Friday) weighs in on the ugly and portrays ex-husband Brandon Blackstock as a daylight-stealing, secret-holding partner who’s on a mission to dry her blood after they split in 2020.
Clarkson, 41, tried to keep the divorce a secret at first, but used the phrase “Skip This Part” in the heart-wrenching opening after dirty details in the ex-couple’s court files began to spread “all over town.” She had no choice but to defend herself publicly.
“If I could get rid of all this gossip and embarrassment, ah, I would,” he assures listeners, before the lush production breaks down and he moves on to Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever” à la rock, one of Clarkson’s many rave breakup anthems. He’s been on the daytime talk show since he left Blackstock.
Bite burns continue on the duo singles “Mine” and “Me”. Clarkson admits that she “cannot believe” that she stayed in the marriage for nearly seven years in her first marriage, while the second reveals Blackstock’s “insecurity” and “secrets”.
“I bet you feel the absence of my love every night,” he grumbles.
No wonder Clarkson is tough. As a result of the divorce (her father, who was absent from work, inspired her 2005 hit song “Because of you”), she feared repeating her family’s mistakes. But now that Clarkson’s worst nightmare has come true, he must put on a brave face for his ex’s two children, River, 9 and Remington, 7.
“I’m getting tired / I always try to do my best / When I don’t feel it / No, I don’t,” she effortlessly calls out to the synthesizer “High Way”.
Practicing self-love helped the Grammy winner along the way.
In Infectious “Rock Hudson,” she thinks she’s been “fooled” by her ex’s charms and comes to a cathartic realization when she’s left on her own: “Piece by piece / I found out I’m my hero,” she sings in a callback. The 2015 ballad “Piece by Piece”, celebrating Blackstock’s restoration of “the belief that a man can be kind and a father can stay”. (This one hasn’t aged well.)
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Clarkson’s wrath is evident in the cleverly titled “Red Flag Collector,” which begins with a desert whistle from a Western showdown, before warning a cowboy casanova to “keep driving until he sees us.” It’s the most brutally honest track on the album, with lyrics that put Blackstock’s multimillionaire ex-girlfriend five cents and less through her legal battles.
“Sure, you can have the towels / You can have my money,” he grumbled. “Drag my name all over town / I don’t care, I changed it anyway.”
But the most emotional hit in “Chemistry” is “Lighthouse,” a sad piano ballad that makes you feel like you’re looking through the pages of Clarkson’s diary. Her powerful voice rises as she mourns her “shattering” marriage and tries to adjust to “tougher than before” days.
Yet not every piece of record is a knife in the heart.
The first “American Idol” winner showcases his comedic prowess in Nick Jonas’ co-written “I Hate Love” and sings, “You can hold Gosling and I’ll get the banjo-playing Steve Martin.” on the way (yes, HE Steve Martin). Meanwhile, the dance song “Favorite Kind of High” written by Carly Rae Jepsen is one of the band’s few love songs and is about butterflies that come with love.
Clarkson’s most triumphant work since 2011’s “Stronger” and possibly even 2004’s “Breakaway” concludes with “That’s Right,” an inspired song with a bit of Latin flair and the legendary Sheila E. on the drums. You can feel your wounds begin to heal as you mutter words like “Take the money / I’ll take the freedom” and “I’ll let you go with the tide.”
Maybe her life wouldn’t be a mess without her.