Kelly Clarkson’s new album, that was released on March 2 of this year, wasn’t, by any means, my ‘Heartbeat Song.’ After two years of sitting and waiting around for her to finally release a new album, there were a lot of high hopes and hype towards ‘Piece by Piece,’ that sadly weren’t meant.

For starters, nothing about any of the music featured on this album sounds original; been there and done that all before. There were points that some American Idol auditions would’ve been much more pleasing to listen to than whatever this was. All I could say while listening is “when is this music going to be over?”

Some of the cringe worthy moments, and there were quite a few of them, throughout the album, came with the songs “Take You High” and “I had a Dream.” You’re right, I did have a dream; this dream consisted of never having to listen to this music ever again. Sorry, but it has been taken off my list of things to do.

On the plus side, it wasn’t all awful. ‘Piece by Piece’ did have some pretty good songs that were featured. The two album highlights being “Run Run Run” and “Tightrope.” “Run Run Run” is a slower song, but it’s extremely relatable. It’s a collaboration with John Legend about fighting for that one person that you love, losing that person, heartbreak and just trying to staying strong.

“Tightrope” is a song about meeting someone that isn’t like anyone else you’ve ever come across. You both have had things happen in your past that have shaped you into who you are. It’s all about just about taking it one step at a time.

“Invincible,” “Someone” and “War Paint” weren’t too bad either, but they weren’t anything to brag about. Other than that, there’s not much to the album. There just wasn’t any pizazz or sparkle. It was just a big blob of bluh. For me, at least, to get into any kind of music, it needs to be different and have some jazz hand moments mixed in here and there, but with ‘Piece by Piece’, there was nothing at all. There was a lot of just sitting and waiting for something interesting to happen though, but sadly, that something interesting never made its way through the speakers.

With an artist who has as much power and popularity as Kelly Clarkson has gained over the past years, she could’ve done so much more with this album. It had the potential to be something incredible and something new and unlike any other, but she really fell short with this one by a long shot. Better luck next time, Kelly.