Of all the pop stars peddling self-empowerment radio anthems these days, Kelly Clarkson is the most believable. Unlike her peers, the 29-year-old doesn’t undermine her sisterly authority by invoking gossip fodder – real or concocted – to sell records, and on her fifth album she mercifully avoids the monotonous dance-pop trend in favour of a timeless pop-rock sound that occasionally flirts with the dance floor.
Seven years after Since U Been Gone, Clarkson’s primary concern is still that proverbial “you” – a familiar musical foil but one that works for her. She’s good at selecting collaborators – in this case Brian Kennedy, Ester Dean, Darkchild, Greg Kurstin – to help her craft pointed, catchy songs that find joy and catharsis in sobering introspection. It’s hard to argue with her zero tolerance for bullshit and her full-throttle delivery. What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger) is about as clichéd as a mission statement can get, but it also makes for a solid pop song.