Kelly Clarkson drops double single to promote upcoming album
Kelly Clarkson is back and gives her fans not one, but two brand new singles! The original American Idol is not the first artist to use the ‘double single’ or ‘double A side’ strategy for a comeback. Beyoncé did it in 2008 with the single releases for her I Am… Sasha Fierce album and recently it became more popular with artists like Drake and The Weeknd trying it successfully. At the beginning of this year Ed Sheeran dropped ‘Shape of You’ and ‘Castle on the Hill’ at the same time resulting in complete radio domination for a good while. More recently, both Camila Cabello and Fergie launched two brand new tracks at the same time and now it’s Kelly Clarkson’s turn with ‘Love So Soft’ and ‘Move You’.
Kelly Clarkson’s most recent studio album Piece By Piece came out early 2015 and was arguably her least successful album campaign until she performed an emotional rendition of the title track during American Idol, turning things around. Soon after she left Sony’s RCA Records and signed a deal with Atlantic, promising a more soulful direction and ‘the album she always wanted to make’. And that is exactly what we get with the new singles!
‘Love So Soft’ is the more uptempo and radiofriendly of the two songs that will probably get the proper push, as it already has a video. The verses have a swinging retro soul vibe complete with The Supremes-esque backing vocals, while the first two choruses are built on hiphop beats and trumpets. In the middle-eight Clarkson of course belts her heart out and in the last chorus everything comes together. It swings, it is powerful and catchy as hell. Lyrically, ‘Love So Soft’ definitely is not her strongest work yet, but the whole new sound works wonders for her. For once, Clarkson and her team put some effort in the video as well and Kelly is serving looks! The first scene reminds me of the opening scene of the movie Hidden Figures while she seems to be channeling her inner Beyoncé in the part with the hats. It is great to see Kelly having so much fun!
And then there is ‘Move You’, a classic Clarkson ballad in the making with a delicious soulful twist. In the verses she strikingly describes all the ways in which she wants to move the person she sings this song too. In all fairness, who would not be moved by that gorgeous voice? Kelly has always been a vocal powerhouse, but the incredible control she has over her vocals these days is unique. How she belts over the gospel choir in the last chorus is simply goosebump inducing.
Kelly Clarkson managed to break free from the pop rock sound she was forced to keep going for so long and she is finally making the music she wants to make. We couldn’t be happier for her and for ourselves as these tracks are her best work in quite a while. Kelly’s album Meaning Of Life will be released on the 27th of October.