Trailer single 'Mr Know It All' proves she still has plenty to say about controlling personalities in the parts of her life that don't involve her investors. "You don't know a thing about me," she asserts over an urban-country mix of fluttering piano and growling guitars; safely sliding back into her anthemic soft-rock sound like a comfy pair of slippers in winter.
'What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)' continues to tread familiar ground, fusing pounding beats with fist-pumping choruses as she belts out a manifesto of independence with her flawless spinto soprano range. Meanwhile, 'Einstein' compounds mathematical equations with lashings of ballsy attitude over a backdrop of revved-up guitars and camp ad-libbing that could easily fill the next Coyote Ugly soundtrack.
Clarkson's hit-back mentality reaches its peak in 'You Can't Win', where she shoots: "If you're straight, why aren't you married yet?/ If you're gay, why don't you wave out a flag?". While it serves as a cool correction of media speculation surrounding her personal life, it's about as defiant as she gets here; leaving us suspecting that the lack of label infighting was because, on this occasion, there was little worth disputing.
Tracks to download: 'Mr Know It All', 'What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)', 'Einstein', 'You Can't Win'
If you like this, you'll like: Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Pink
Watch the music video for 'Mr Know It All' below:
