Kelly Clarkson Says “So What” To All That

noah | January 13, 2009 9:00 am

ARTIST: Kelly Clarkson TITLE: “My Life Would Suck Without You” WEB DEBUT: Jan. 13, 2008

ONE-LISTEN VERDICT: Kelly Clarkson’s “see, I can still be a popstar” public shaming comeback song does, as previously reported, have the strummed-guitar opening of her subculture-uniting megahit “Since U Been Gone.” But once that’s over, a robotic beat not dissimilar to that backing “I Kissed A Girl” and “So What” and too many other female-fronted pop hits of now takes over, and the brisk trail that beat blazes through the next 3:30 is so workmanlike, you can almost see Clive Davis standing over it, tapping his foot and checking his watch. There are some nice burbles of keyboard here and there, but honestly, would I be invested in this song at all if it wasn’t Clarkson singing it? Probably not. Does the music sound like it was a rough draft of “Who Knew” that was rejected for being too peppy? You bet.

(Also, really, no bridge? Forget “Since”; the bridge is the best part of “Walk Away,” too.)

WHERE TO HEAR IT: It’s at Z100’s site, but this should work until the Sonybots swoop in: