Thankful (Kelly Clarkson album)

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Thankful
Studio album by Kelly Clarkson
Released	April 15, 2003 (2003-04-15) (see release history)
Recorded	2002-2003
Genre	Pop, R&B
Length	45:48
Label	RCA
Producer	Clive Davis (exec.), Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers, Rhett Lawrence, Clif Magness, Matthew Wilder, Steve Ferrera, The Underdogs, Babyface, Louis Biancaniello, Sam Watters, Steve Mac, Desmond Child, Cathy Dennis
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Entertainment Weekly B+ link Rolling Stone link Slant Magazine link USA Today link
Kelly Clarkson chronology
— Thankful (2003) Breakaway (2004)
Singles from Thankful
"A Moment Like This / Before Your Love" Released: September 17, 2002 "Miss Independent" Released: May 2003 "Low" Released: August 25, 2003 "The Trouble with Love Is" Released: December 2003

Thankful is the debut album by American singer Kelly Clarkson, released in the United States by RCA on April 15, 2003 (see 2003 in music). "A Moment Like This" was its first single, followed by "Miss Independent", "Low", and "The Trouble with Love Is".^{[citation needed]}

Initially scheduled for a November 2002 release, the album debuted at number one on the American Billboard 200 selling 297,000 copies. "Miss Independent" went on to be a Top 10 hit in the US. The album went on to be certified double platinum, with almost 3 million copies shipped.^{[citation needed]}

Thankful included two cover tracks, "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" originally by Aretha Franklin and "Just Missed the Train" by Danielle Brisebois. "Just Missed the Train" was previously covered by Carly Smithson (then Carly Hennessy), who worked on much of her album with Brisebois. Thankful had sold 2.73 million copies in the U.S.^[1] In Canada Thankful was certified platinum for 100,000 copies shipped.^[2]

[edit] Reception

[edit] Critical reception

Critical response for Thankful were generally positive. On Metacritic, a website that compiles various reviews, the album received a score of 62, indicating generally favorable reviews.^[3] Entertainment Weekly noted that "Clarkson glides through octaves with the masterful control of someone who's been doing this for decades".^[4] Rolling Stone gave the album three out of five stars, praising Clarkson's talent and vocal abilities, while criticizing the album for feeling manufactured. They note that "[her] high notes are sweet and pillowy, her growl is bone-shaking and sexy, and her midrange is amazingly confident for a pop posy whose career is tied for eternity to the whims of her American Idol overlords".^[5]

[edit] Sales and chart performance

Release of the album was preceded by the single "Miss Independent", which become a top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit and a #1 top 40 smash. In thanks to the success of the single, as well as buzz from her American Idol win (Clarkson also appeared several times on the show's second season to promote Thankful), the album sold well in the United States. It managed to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 with 297,000 copies sold. The album sold over 1 million copies in six weeks.^[6] According to Nielsen SoundScan, Thankful has sold 2,720,000 copies to date in the US.^[7]

Further single releases "Low" and "The Trouble with Love Is" did not replicate the success of the previous single. "Just Missed the Train" and "You Thought Wrong" had been planned for possible single releases, but after the underperformance of "Low" and "The Trouble with Love Is", they were canceled.^[8]

[edit] Track listing

1. "The Trouble with Love Is" (Kelly Clarkson, Evan Rogers, Carl Sturken) – 3:42
2. "Miss Independent" (Christina Aguilera, Clarkson, Rhett Lawrence, Matt Morris) – 3:35
3. "Low" (Jimmy Harry) – 3:28
4. "Some Kind of Miracle" (Diane Warren) – 3:39
5. "What's Up Lonely" (Rogers, Stephanie Saraco, Sturken) – 4:09
6. "Just Missed the Train" (Danielle Brisebois, Scott Cutler) – 4:12
7. "Beautiful Disaster" (Rebekah Jordan, Matthew Wilder) – 4:12
8. "You Thought Wrong" (featuring Tamyra Gray) (Clarkson, Babyface, Gray, Harvey Mason, Jr., Damon Thomas) – 3:51
9. "Thankful" (Clarkson, Edmonds, Mason, Thomas) – 3:02
10. "Anytime" (Louis Biancaniello, Sam Watters) – 4:08
11. "A Moment Like This" (New Mix) (Jörgen Elofsson, John Reid) – 3:48
12. "Before Your Love" (New Mix) (Desmond Child, Cathy Dennis) – 3:59
13. "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (Carole King Larkey, Gerald Wexler, Gerry Goffin) – 2:36 (Japanese edition)

[edit] Release history

Initially, the album had been scheduled to be released in November 2002, only a few months after the completion of the first season of American Idol.^[9] However, Clarkson's demanding schedule and difficulty finding tracks that suited her taste and image forced the album to be delayed several times. By the time the album was released, over six months had elapsed since "A Moment Like This" had hit #1. Because of this, as well as the song's status as a "bonus track" on the album, has led to some debate as to whether "A Moment Like This" constitutes the album's first single, or if it is "Miss Independent", which Clarkson debuted on the April 9, 2003 episode of the second season of American Idol, a mere week before her album was released.

[edit] Notes

• Two songs originally on the album, "Trace of Gold" and "Today for Me", were replaced just before the album release by "Anytime" and "A Moment Like This". Early released versions of the CD still show the original tracks on players that read the data from the CD itself (such as Windows Media Player). The two songs have yet to be heard by the general public.

• Copies of Thankful sold during its first year of release contained a computer program that could be loaded, and used with the internet for artist updates and music videos. The program ceased to function when her official RCA website was launched.

[edit] References

1. ^ Idol Chatter 04-22-2009
2. ^ http://www.cria.ca/gold/0104_g.php
3. ^ "Thankful by Kelly Clarkson". Metacritic. February 24, 2008. http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/clarksonkelly/thankful?q=kelly%20clarkson. Retrieved 2008-02-24. 
4. ^ "Thankful by Kelly Clarkson". Entertainment Weekly. April 25, 2003. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,444557,00.html. Retrieved 2008-02-24. 
5. ^ "Kelly Clarkson - Thankful". Rolling Stone. May 15, 2003. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/kellyclarkson/albums/album/321297/review/5942494/thankful. Retrieved 2008-02-24. 
6. ^ "Clarkson slipping into a sales slump". USA Today. 2007-08-10. http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2007-08-09-clarkson-sales_N.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-24. 
7. ^ Idol Chatter 04-22-2009
8. ^ "Kelly Clarkson Hits The Roof For New Clip, Plans DVD". MTV. 2003-11-06. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1480236/20031106/clarkson_kelly.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-02-24. 
9. ^ "For The Record: Quick News On Kelly Clarkson And Justin Guarini, Eve, D12, Ben Lee, Sheryl Crow & More". December 13, 2002. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1459155/20021213/clarkson_kelly.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-02-24.