2.5/5
The first single off Kelly Clarkson’s much-anticipated All I Ever Wanted, ‘My Life Would Suck Without You’ begins with the same amping strums of ‘Since U Been Gone,’ escalating to that familiar rubbed-raw, girl-gone-bad holler. But for anyone who indulgently blasted the breakup hit for some underwear-dancing empowerment in ’05, the followup is a disappointment. Instead of venging the ex, Clarkson goes all pussy on us, confessing she was ‘stupid/ For tryin’ to say goodbye.’ Even with its L.A. electro-polish, all that love-torn yelling can’t match the window-shattering force that first drove the American Idol into our sleepover parties. But her sincere efforts are still enough to pick up the pieces of 2007’s flop My December ‘mdash; ‘My Life’ snagged 280k digital downloads during its first week of release. If only she knew that all we really want is a remix with David Archuleta.