Kelly Clarkson stretches on 'Stronger'
![Album / CD art cover titled "Stronger " by Kelly...](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.newsday.com%2Fimage-service%2Fversion%2Fc%3AOWUwOTc0YzAtODMyMC00%3AMThjYzY0%2Fp2music.jpg%3Ff%3DLandscape%2B16%253A9%26w%3D770%26q%3D1&w=1920&q=80)
Album / CD art cover titled "Stronger " by Kelly Clarkson Credit: None/
Kelly Clarkson is stretching again on "Stronger" (RCA). After consolidating all her pop prowess on her irresistible 2009 album, "All You Ever Wanted," she is trying her hand at a variety of genres -- from the acoustic country ache of "Breaking Your Own Heart" to the four-on-the-floor dance-floor stomper "What Doesn't Kill You." She handles it all very well, infusing her tales of empowerment after a breakup with her unique combo of vulnerability and sass. Clarkson is best at the pop put-down, though, and she has a doozy in "Einstein," where she declares, "I may not be Einstein, but I know dumb + dumb = you."
KELLY CLARKSON
"Stronger"
THE GRADE A-
BOTTOM LINE Masterfully covering all her bases