Don't Skip Kelly Clarkson's "Heartbeat Song"

What peppiness you have Kelly Clarkson. All the better to make us think she dipped her vocal paintbrush into the ready made Katy Perry cheerfulness aesthetic. Either that or she's done her homework on slickly produced '80s harmonies. A constant among Kelly's recorded output would definitely be her tough girl mystique. "Since U Been Gone" rocked hard, grabbed guys by the testicles and dared them to mess with her. Conversely "Because Of You", another Kelly classic I like, albeit for polar opposite reasons tosses Kelly into damsel in distress mode. The layers of unresolved issue are there but without Kelly's in your face choice of octaves "Because Of You" could have easily dropped to the level of forgettable button pusher. Jumping ahead to January 2015, "Heartbeat Song" deserves credit for being upfront about what it's providing its audience. Be prepared to get warm fuzzies unlike anything she's unveiled before. It's her heartbeat song and she's going to play it. The arrangements stick to the script rather than rove about from bottled rage to lightning bolt between the eyes like "Since U Been Gone" or milk the angst cow like "Because of You". You'd be forgiven for suspecting "Heartbeat Song" stands out as Kelly's most processed sounding vocal performance to date. That shouldn't stop anyone from enjoying Kelly's pure spunk taken in another direction. What decade has she landed in? Not very important. Say you're in the middle of one of those days at the office that doesn't want to let its tentacles off of you. Nothing goes right. Spilled coffee all over the boss. Your current odds of getting promoted are slim to none and slim just left the room. "Heartbeat Song", when played on iPod, far away from the disapproving glances of co-workers, can restore your even keel to like new pristine in...um...a heartbeat. Of course you could slam Kelly for not insisting on an adventurous first cut from "Piece By Piece" but no malice was or is intended. The song's fun. Chorus does tug hard on the repetitive side of the pleasure spectrum but the fact it's too bouncy to be believed saves it from treading into migraine enhancing territory. For an artist of Kelly's caliber it's vital that the musicians playing with her or for that matter that programmed beats buoying her are worth the cosmic energy Kelly's throwing in there. Well played, record company. Perhaps the time was right in Kelly's steady career for a palate cleanser that divested itself of the amplification, electrical, or relationship that is usually part and parcel to what Kelly brings to the dance. Sexually provocative yet accessible to anyone staking out motivation set to an undiluted hook "Heartbeat Song" seldom skips its chances to endear itself to us. I'd like more hands cranked to fourth gear in future singles but "Heartbeat Song" earns the right to be respected on its own merits.