Track review: Kelly's "My Life Would Suck Without You"

Kelly Clarkson is back in her photoshopped form with the Dr. Luke/Max Martin instant hit “My Life Would Suck Without You,” out Fri., Jan. 16. Although she has temporarily left her ‘December’ style behind, Clarkson still knows exactly how to make a pop gem.

“Suck” does not present listeners with anything truly groundbreaking, lyrically (“either way I found out / I’m nothing without you“) or musically, but it does feature Clarkson’s signature toned vocals. Her vocals, though dressed up thanks to autotuning, blend well with the techno-rock composition of the song. The “Since U Been Gone”-like opening guitar chord and the “So What”-like chorus call originality into question but the catchiness of “Suck” cancels out those claims.

Where Clarkson really makes “Suck” her own is in the final chorus when she hits a few astronomically high notes. This is the artist that fans know and love and her return to the music scene after a few rough years is just what radio needed.

Kelly Clarkson may be traveling the commercially-friendly route right now, especially with the techno thing in style, but her spunk, tenacity and unparalleled vocals set her leaps and bounds ahead of the Katy Perrys and the Lady Gagas of the world. She will always be a role model for artists, and “My Life Would Suck Without You” is something special for that reason.