More than a week before its scheduled release, Kelly Clarkson's controversial album, "My December" is available all over the Internet.I downloaded it quickly last Friday, and have been listening to it ever since — not necessarily because it's so good, but to evaluate its inherent oddness.
"My December," you see, as has been discussed now in this column and other places, is not what you'd expect from the winner of "American Idol."
That can be a good thing and a bad thing. We all applaud ambitious moves, and Clarkson certainly wants to spread her wings. Her famous quote now is that the songs are by her and about her. She says something to the effect of, "Pardon me if my life bores you."
Clarkson, however, is not a very experienced lyricist. So the pain she is trying to convey on "My December" is often not very effectively rendered. Unlike confessional songwriters like Carly Simon or even Alanis Morissette, Clarkson doesn't have a grasp of metaphor. She is more of an in-your-face songwriter. She also doesn't know when to stop beating a dead horse.