Kelly Clarkson

The album contained aspects of pop, contemporary R&B, and gospel music, with several established musicians such as Christina Aguilera, Diane Warren, The Underdogs, and Babyface contributing on to the tracks. Released during the urban-R&B dominance, the album was well received by several critics. However, several critics noted that her early achievement was established due to her performances on American Idol. Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised the album for its vocal ability: "throughout this record, (Clarkson) makes it seem effortless and charming. She can croon, she can belt out a song, she can be sexy and sassy while still being graceful and as wholesome as the girl next door." Henry Goldblatt of Entertainment Weekly remarked: "Clarkson glides through octaves with the masterful control of someone who's been doing this for decades." Read Less

It also garnered Clarkson several accolades, including a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 48th Grammy Awards.

All of the singles from Breakaway became international hits: its titular lead single, "Breakaway", originally served as an original song for the Disney film The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement in 2004. The single became a commercial success — peaking at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and eventually became her longest-running No. 1 song, where it was No. 1 for 28 weeks on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Audience chart. The follow-up single, "Since U Been Gone", became the album's most successful release — peaking at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and eventually becoming her most successful single on the Billboard Hot 100 to date. It garnered Clarkson numerous accolades, including two MTV Video Music Awards and a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 48th Grammy Awards. Furthermore, the single was critically acclaimed not only by the pop music scene but as well as by the rock music scene—such as Ted Leo, Fall Out Boy, Simple Plan, Yellowcard, Switchfoot, and Evanescence. The third and fourth singles, "Behind These Hazel Eyes" and "Because of You", also followed suit—peaking at number 6 and 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. "Because of You" also received critical acclaim and more success worldwide, by topping the charts in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Switzerland. Read Less

Unlike Breakaway, the album relied on darker themes and was more rock-oriented. All of the album's tracks were co-written by Clarkson and she opted to collaborate with her band members rather than her previous producers and collaborators. Its production and release became a subject of a dispute with RCA, particularly with Davis (who ultimately decided not to executive produce the album) and Kwatinetz. Davis noted the album's lack of professional production input and wanted to her to re-record tracks with a more mainstream appeal—to which she refused. The album received substantial positive reception and debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200, but lack of promotion due to reluctance of RCA led Clarkson to dismiss Kwatinetz and Live Nation to cancel its accompanying tour, the My December Tour, and reschedule it into a smaller scale with supporting acts Jon McLaughlin, Sean Kingston and Mandy Moore. Clarkson later hired the services of talent manager Narvel Blackstock of Starstruck Management. Blackstock is the husband of country artist Reba McEntire, of whom Clarkson is a close friend. A month after the album's release, Clarkson issued an apology to Davis; she remarked: "He has been a key advisor and has been an important force in my success to date. He has also given me respect by releasing my new album when he was not obligated to do so. I really regret how this has turned out and I apologize to those whom I have done disservice." Read Less

Its production oversaw Clarkson returning to a mainstream-oriented sound by reuniting with previous collaborators Dr. Luke, Martin, and DioGuardi, as well as collaborating with new ones including Howard Benson, Claude Kelly, Ryan Tedder, Glen Ballard, Matt Thiessen and Katy Perry in contributing tracks for the album. The release of All I Ever Wanted was met with positive acclaim from music critics for its lighter themes. The album also became a commercial success; it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and stayed there for two weeks. Read Less

Clarkson described that the album was "was influenced by Prince, Tina Turner, Sheryl Crow, Radiohead and there's a little bit of a country vibe/influence on a couple of songs." Clarkson collaborated with several producers including Greg Kurstin, Ester Dean, Darkchild, Toby Gad, Steve Jordan and Howard Benson. The album has received positive acclaim, with several music critics noting the album's predominant R&B and country influences as well as newly-developed dance-pop themes. Stronger became a commercial success, debuting at number 2 on the Billboard 200, and has sustained chart longevity. The release of the album was accompanied by a limited release of Clarkson's first extended play, The Smoakstack Sessions, which featured alternate versions of Stronger and All I Ever Wanted songs. Read Less