Review Revue: Kelly Clarkson “Mr. Know It All”

Robbie Daw | August 31, 2011 1:24 pm

Kelly Clarkson pretty much has relationships figured out. Through her songs, she’s admitted she can sometimes have a change of heart (see “Miss Independent”), informed us all about who she feels closest to (“My Life Would Suck Without You”) and who she never hopes to see again (“Since U Been Gone”), and relayed her dating philosophy (“I Do Not Hook Up”). Now, with her new single “Mr. Know It All,” she’s once again feeling sassy toward the boys. Head below to see how critics reacted to Kelly’s first offering from upcoming album Stronger. :: MTV News commented, “The song is an obvious Clarkson joint: feisty and straightforward, with a strong melody and a sing-along chorus. The midtempo breakup tune is about a girl letting her guy know that despite thinking he’s got it all figured out, he doesn’t.”

:: Meanwhile, MTV Buzzworthy adds, “As opposed to the ‘Since U Been Gone’ Kelly, the ‘Mr. Know It All’ Kelly sounds softer and more feminine… After a more subdued verse, the chorus slips into a syncopated beat, reminding us a little of Bruno Mars’ ‘Just The Way You Are.’ Hey, guys. Kelly Clarkson’s back.”

:: New York Daily News raves, “Kelly Clarkson knows a thing or two about break-up songs and on her new one, ‘Mr. Know It All,’ she’s back to her winning formula.”

:: Entertainment Weekly‘s Music Mix chimed in: “We love it too, Kelly. Especially since we’re not the men involved.”

:: PopDust, however, was not impressed, and zeroed in on the “Just The Way You Are” similarities: “The resemblance is as blatant as that of ‘Already Gone’ and ‘Halo,’ but at least those two had the same songwriter. ‘Mr. Know It All’ was written by a collection of non-Smeezingtons, none of whom apparently heard or cared about the resemblance.”

:: HitFix warns, “Kelly Clarkson debuted ‘Mr. Know It All’ today during a live stream on her website and all we have to say is Beyonce better watch out.”

:: Hollywood.com was also smitten: “It’s nice to know that even though American Idol has given us a few dud winners (i.e. Ruben Studdard), there’s still a select few who’ve got the pipes to hold their title as a talented artist…”

:: Music & Lyrics also joined in on the lovefest: “I truly admire Kelly for sticking to her plan of doing this ‘Single World Premiere’ event and not cancel it. Why? Well, you already know ‘Mr Know It All’ leaked online over the weekend, so most people already had the MP3 on their computers, iPods, etc. So it kinda felt unncessary doing this ‘live premiere’ anymore. But, Kelly is Kelly, she only takes the positive things, and the webcast went as planned.”

:: VH1 reluctantly admitted their “like” for the jam: “We don’t have to lie. The mid-tempo ballad isn’t our favorite of her tracks, and we wish her vocals were mixed higher, but we dig it nonetheless.”

:: Finally, Pink Is The New Blog was totally on board: “I hope this is a HUGE hit for Kelly … and it bodes very well that her album Stronger, due out in October, will RULE!”

What are your thoughts on “Mr. Know It All”? Does Kelly have yet another smash on her hands? Let us know below!