Kelly Clarkson Releases Statement About Clive Davis and Record Controversy

The following quote was put on Kelly Clarkson's official website this morning --

"There has been quite a bit of controversy surrounding the release of "My December," much of which has focused on a supposed feud with my record label, in particular, Clive Davis. I want to set the record straight on this by saying that I want my band, my advisors, those close to me and my record label to be one big, tightly knit family. Like any family we will disagree and argue sometimes but, in the end, it's respect and admiration that will keep us together. A lot has been made in the press about my relationship with Clive. Much of this has been blown way out of proportion and taken out of context. Contrary to recent characterizations in the press, I'm well aware that Clive is one of the great record men of all time. 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. I would never intentionally hurt anyone. I love music, and I love the people I am blessed to work with. I am happy that my team is behind me and I look forward to the future."
- Kelly

I say, good for you Kelly for putting this out there -- hopefully we can all start to move past the "controversy" and look toward the future. Perhaps, once the Clive vs. Kelly debacle is behind us, people will be able to listen to My December for what it really is -- a very solid album, with a few near-masterpieces, that definitely deserves an audience.

As a side note, I listened to "Sober" easily 15 times this weekend -- I'm a little obsessed.

Your thoughts?

Happy Kelly Clarkson Day! Kelly's Album In Stores Today

After what has seemed like years of controversy, Kelly Clarkson's My December is available for purchase today!

HAPPY KELLY CLARKSON DAY!

Check back later for a full review of the album. Here's a preview of my thoughts...it's different, and I love it!

Support the artistry! Buy Kelly's CD!

Kelly vs. Clive: The Battle Continues; Clips of Kelly's New Songs Now Available

What did we do before the internet? Did we actually have to wait until a CD was released in a store to get a sense of what it was going to sound like?

Thankfully these days we have things like AOL Music, which is providing a sneak peek at a few songs from Kelly Clarkson's new album, "My December," which will be released June 26.

The songs previewed on the site are "Sober" (which has a haunting refrain and some unbelievable singing from Ms. C), "Can I Have a Kiss" (which has a playful, almost Sheryl Crow-esque sound), and "Maybe," a scorcher which Kelly sang on her last tour.

While each snippet is only about 1 minute in length, all three songs, to my ear, sound fantastic, and I can't wait for the album to come out. Can. Not. Wait.

I want this album to do incredibly well, not only because I love Kelly Clarkson (and I do love me some Kelly Clarkson), but because, due to the Kelly vs. Clive Davis debacle, it will also represent a victory of artistry over commerce. Clive has allegedly been against this album since Kelly turned it in to the record company in January, mostly because she wrote all of the songs herself and chose not to work with the producers who crafted some of her previous hits. First there were rumors that Clive talked sh*t about Kelly during a promotional presentation, then there was the threat that the CD might not be released, and then, of course, the final straw was his speech at the American Idol finale, where he plugged new singles by Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee, commended Chris Daughtry and Carrie Underwood for their huge record sales, and then seemed to take a swipe at Kelly by only mentioning her in terms of the songwriters who penned "Since U Been Gone." How about those 15 million albums Kelly sold, Clive? You didn't think those might be worthy of mention?

Thankfully, there does seem to be a bit of a Clive backlash brewing, with various artists expressing their support for Kelly, and articles popping up on various websites, including TMZ, taking Clive to task. New York Post's Page Six had a headline today that read "Note to music industry legend Clive Davis: Stop trashing Kelly Clarkson - you are making yourself look bad."

Gotta love it!

You can listen to the clips from Kelly's new album here.

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Kelly Clarkson's Album Available For Pre-Order

Kelly Clarkson's album, which will be released on June 26, is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com. Click My December to pre-order it now.