My December

Untitled

My December is the third studio album by American pop/rock singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson. The album will be released on June 22, 2007 in Germany and Italy, June 23,2007 in Australia, June 25, 2007 in UK and Poland and on June 26, 2007 in the United States and Canada. Clarkson confirmed the name of the album in her journal on her fanclub website on February 27, 2007. Clarkson has stated in interviews that she has written or co-written on every track on the album.

Track listing

1. "Never Again" (Clarkson/Messer) - 3:39
2. "One Minute" (Clarkson/Dioguardi/Maida) - 3:07
3. "Hole" (Clarkson/Messer/Baker) - 3:04
4. "Sober" (Clarkson/Eubanks/McEntire/Messer) - 4:54
5. "Don't Waste Your Time" (Clarkson/Messer/Pardon/Rinman) - 3:38
6. "Judas" (Clarkson/Messer/Baker) - 3:39
7. "Haunted" (Clarkson/Messer/Halbert) - 3:21
8. "Be Still" (Clarkson/Eubanks) - 3:27
9. "Maybe" (Clarkson/Messer/Eubanks) - 4:25
10. "How I Feel" (Clarkson/Messer/Baker/Kahne) - 3:43
11. "Yeah" (Clarkson/Messer/Pardon/Rinman) - 2:45
12. "Can I Have a Kiss" (Clarkson/Messer/Baker) - 3:34
13. "Irvine" (Clarkson/Eubanks) - 4:15
14. "Chivas" (Clarkson) - 3:41 [Hidden Track]

iTunes Deluxe Edition

As a note, when the preorder for the album originally appeared on iTunes, there was an offer through Ticketmaster to get preferred seating to Clarkson's upcoming tour. But since the tour was cancelled, iTunes removed the Ticketmaster offer on 14 June 2007 from the preorder.

1. "Never Again" (Clarkson/Messer) - 3:39
2. "One Minute" (Clarkson/Dioguardi/Maida) - 3:07
3. "Hole" (Clarkson/Messer/Baker) - 3:04
4. "Sober" (Clarkson/Eubanks/McEntire/Messer) - 4:54
5. "Don't Waste Your Time" (Clarkson/Messer/Pardon/Rinman) - 3:38
6. "Judas" (Clarkson/Messer/Baker) - 3:39
7. "Haunted" (Clarkson/Messer/Halbert) - 3:21
8. "Be Still" (Clarkson/Eubanks) - 3:27
9. "Maybe" (Clarkson/Messer/Eubanks) - 4:25
10. "How I Feel" (Clarkson/Messer/Baker/Kahne) - 3:43
11. "Yeah" (Clarkson/Messer/Pardon/Rinman) - 2:45
12. "Can I Have a Kiss" (Clarkson/Messer/Baker) - 3:34
13. "Irvine" (Clarkson/Eubanks) - 8:47
14. "Dirty Little Secret"
15. "Never Again (Dave Aude Remix)" (Clarkson/Messer)
16. "Never Again (Dave Aude Club Mix)" (Clarkson/Messer)
17. "Not Today" [Pre-Order Only]
18. Digital Booklet

It should be noted that the pre-orders for the album on iTunes (both deluxe & standard) do not contain the track "Chivas" on the tracklist, since Chivas is a hidden track that begins 5 minutes and 19 seconds into "Irvine."

Release date

The North American release date has been confirmed as June 26, 2007. In numerous interviews and press releases, the release date for My December was stated as July 24th, having been delayed many times. Clarkson stated on Jimmy Kimmel Live that My December would be released on June 26th so that her fans could learn the songs before the tour started, as the original release date did not make sense. On June 8th, an extremely low-quality version of the album was leaked onto the internet, and on June 17th, the high-quality version of the album was also leaked onto the internet - and response from fan club has been positive. Many reviewers of the album have embraced Clarkson's artistic movement on the album and accept her lyrics and change as a new and improved rock artist. On June 12th the album was put up for pre-order on iTunes with an offer from Ticketmaster for preffered seating to her upcoming tour, the Ticketmaster offer has now been removed since the tour was cancelled but the album is still availiable for preorder.

Conflict with record label

Sources have reported that Clive Davis, the head of Sony-BMG, was apparently dissatisfied with the album. Davis reportedly wanted Clarkson to make significant changes to the album, with some rumors claiming that he even wanted to scrap the entire album, and have her record all new material. According to these sources, Clarkson reportedly refused to change any of the material, and ended up getting her way, causing tense feelings between her and Davis. These reports were initially denied by representatives for both RCA and Clive Davis, with Davis specifically stating that Clarkson is "one of the top four artists at Sony BMG" and wanted to ensure that she is treated as such. However, Clarkson herself later confirmed the rumors during an interview with Showbiz Tonight. When asked if Clive actually wanted to hold the album from being released as scheduled, Clarkson responded, "There was talk of that happening. So, yeah." Speaking to MTV, Clarkson added "This time everybody made a big deal about the label and I disagreeing with the record, but that's happened every record. This is just the only one people know about, so there's nothing new. I've never once compromised myself. I don't think you should; that's when you start to lose fans and credibility. I think you definitely need to keep doing what you love, because I'm the one that needs to sing it every night."

Idol judge, Simon Cowell, commented on the situation in a recent issue of Entertainment Weekly, saying, "Kelly is not a puppet; she does not like to be told what to do. She could have gone the easy route, which is, you go with ["Since U Been Gone" producer] Max Martin - it's a guaranteed success. She made it absolutely clear that she wanted to steer the musical direction on this record. You just gotta say, 'You know what? This girl has given us millions and millions of sales.' You've got to give her that opportunity. If it works out, fantastic. If she then decides she wants to do a pop album, every good writer and producer wants to work with her. Because Kelly will be here for 30 years. She has one of the best pop voices in the world right now. What she sold in the U.K., Europe, Asia had nothing to do with American Idol. It had everything to do with the fact that she made a great record and she's got an incredible voice. She's not a girl who got lucky in a talent competition; we got lucky to find her."

Some feel Clarkson was shunned by Davis during his appearance on the finale show of American Idol season 6, when he proceeded to promote other Idol contestant's current singles or albums, but failed to mention Clarkson's upcoming My December album, or its first single, "Never Again," and furthermore went out of his way to praise professional songwriters such as those who had written "Breakaway" and "Since U Been Gone". He did, however, briefly mention that Clarkson had sold over 14 million albums worldwide to date, when discussing the current state of Idol sales.

Clarkson has said that the label thought this record was "too negative" and dark, and she conceded that it would not match Breakaway's sales. She compared it to Bruce Springsteen's landmark 1982 album Nebraska, which was explicitly anti-commercial but has since gained a huge reputation of, as she said, "an artist's record."

Clarkson is featured in an issue of Elle Magazine, where it was revealed that Davis offered Clarkson $10 million dollars to remove five songs from the album in favor of five more radio friendly songs of Davis' choosing, but Clarkson turned down the offer and has stated on the subject, "I am a good singer, so I can't possibly be a good writer. Women can't possibly be good at two things. I haven't lost my temper about it. It only drives me more. If your thing is to bring me down, cool. I'll just work harder." Reba McEntire also comments on the situation in the issue, saying "Back in the day, female artists were told to perform and then go sit in the corner," McEntire says. "Thank God for people like Dolly Parton who took charge. Kelly is the same way. She knows what she wants. She's had a rough go of it in the music business. People think she just won Idol and everything else was easy. Not so. She's had to fight."

Clarkson further comments on the issue with her record label in the magazine, "I've sold more than 15 million records worldwide, and still nobody listens to what I have to say," and "I could give a crap about being a star. I've always just wanted to sing and write."

In addition, she claims that she was pressured by the label to sing "Never Again" at the charity event Idol Gives Back to promote the song, saying, "My label wanted me to sing 'Never Again,' and I was like, to promote yourself on a charity event is beyond crass. People are starving and dying and I'm up there singing some bitter pop song? And believe me, everyone wanted me to sing it. Because they are jaded and they have no soul. Imagine sitting in a room full of people totally against you. Can't they hear themselves speaking? Capitalize on AIDS? Are you kidding? Insulting an entire nation of people? I just refused." Instead she sang Patty Griffin's "Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)" at Idol Gives Back, and saved "Never Again" for her appearance on the season finale show.

Things apparently reached a boiling point for Clarkson, when she fired her manager, Jeff Kwatinetz, because of disagreement over "the songs and the direction". Since firing her manager, Clarkson has proceeded to postpone her planned summer tour for "My December" due to dissapointing ticket sales, and saying it was "too much too soon". There is currently no planned date for when the tour might happen.

Critical and commercial reaction

The first single, "Never Again", was released April 13 in the U.S., and despite reaching the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 due to strong digital sales, it never achieved substantial airplay, and was pulled from many stations only a couple of weeks following its release. This has led to the early release of a second single, "Sober".

Of the preview of some of the album tracks so far released, many fans have reacted positively to the songs, on sites like Clarkson's official website, and AOL. In addition, the first professional review from Slant Magazine was mostly positive, with the album receiving a 3.5/5 star review. One excerpt from the review, in response to the disappointing reaction to Never Again, reads, "But who cares about hits—or appeasing the kids—when the songs are this good?"

Strangely though, Fox News has called the album "bitter", and saying none of the songs have the polish of any of her hit singles from "Breakaway". They gave negative opinions of songs such as "Maybe", claiming it to have no singable melody, "Can I Have a Kiss" calling it a coffee house song that sounds like it's by an "up-and-coming artist", and dismissed Clarkson's writing on the record as lacking skill and coming off as "unsympathetic" and "childish." According to the site, an unnamed source predicted the album would have strong sales in its first few weeks, but then plummet down the charts.

Chart performance

The deluxe edition in pre-orders of "My December" has already peaked at #2 on the U.S. iTunes Top Album chart and #4 on the Canadian iTunes Chart in just over 24 hours.

Singles

"Never Again" is the first single off My December. Its release was announced on her website on April 4, 2007. The track hit the airwaves on April 13, being officially debuted by Clarkson herself on Los Angeles based 102.7 KIIS-FM's radio show "On-Air with Ryan Seacrest." The video was shot in Los Angeles between April 10 and 13. The video premiered on TRL on May 1, and has since hit number one on the countdown four times.

In her official fan club, Clarkson stated that "Sober" would be the next single and hit airwaves June 6.

Clarkson has stated that "One Minute" will most likely be a single from the album, in an interview on May 12 on VH1 V-Spot. She has also mentioned that "Can I Have a Kiss" might be a single due to its great reception. She stated on radio station 104.1 KRBE that she would like to release "Judas" as a single, but does not know what the public reaction would be as the song is 'very personal'.

Also, the sticker placed on the front side of the physical CD states the singles as:"Never Again", "Sober", "One Minute" and "How I Feel". This suggests that "One Minute" and "How I Feel" might be upcoming singles.

Year	Single	Peak positions
		U.S. Hot 100	US Pop	US Dig Songs	CAN Hot 100	AUS Singles	UWC	UK
2007	"Never Again"	8	12	4	8	5	19	9
	"Sober"	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

My December Tour

Clarkson announced on her website that the My December Tour would start on July 11th 2007 in Portland, OR. The tour has 37 dates across the US and Canada. Mat Kearney will open for her and another possible special guest may accompany her. Kelly has stated that she is touring the UK and Australia later in 2007.

On June 14th, the tour was canceled. Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino released a statement, "Ticket sales have not been what we anticipated and we came to the realization that we had bit off more than we could chew. In the end, we are in the Kelly Clarkson business and for that reason we believe that this decision will only benefit her and her fans in the long run." Clarkson stated on her official website that the My December Tour was just too much for her at the moment, and that she would make sure to tour as soon as "humanly" possible. Clarkson also went on to state that she very much wanted to tour this summer in support of her album, but that it was just "too much, too soon".