Fridae

On Ms Scary's loud-o-meter, Ms Kelly Clarkson's sophomore release entitled Breakaway rates a little less noisy than a Linkin Park concert.

Featuring mostly amped-up songs with a shout-it-out rock feel, Breakaway is more consistent than the dreadful Thankful and showcases the pioneer winner of America's glorified karaoke contest at her vocal best.

Other than the sing-a-long single "Breakaway" from The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, the rest of Ms Clarkson's new album veers towards aggressive and agitated pop-rock tunes not for the faint-of-heart - as heralded by her latest Avril Lavigne penned single "Since U Been Gone."

On "Behind These Hazel Eyes" and "Gone," the native Texan with the big voice sounds as if she is auditioning for Aerosmith and on "Hear Me" and "Addicted," she sounds if she is standing in for Amy Lee of Evanescence.

While abstaining from the Mariah School of High Shrieks mode of singing which marred most of Thankful, there is still room for Ms Clarkson to show off her vocal prowess - albeit with more restraint - especially on stirring ballads such as "Where Is Your Heart," "Because Of You" and the "live" version of "Beautiful Disaster."

Given its heavy rock influence, Breakaway will no doubt alienate the part of her fan base who are into safe cookie-cutter pop usually associated with Idol singers and made popular by pretentious pipsqueaks such as Lindsay Lohan and Hillary Duff.

Still, Ms Scary believes in giving credit when credit's due: Breakaway is Ms Clarkson's coming-of-age album and signals her debut both as a newly minted singer-songwriter (she co-wrote half of the songs on the album) and as the new voice of powerhouse rock (long vacant after Mesdames Bonnie Tyler and Pat Benatar exited the pop scene).

Moreover, appearing on the cover with I-just-tumbled-out-of-bed hair and lips suggestively apart, the former small town waitress has obviously heeded Ms Scary's styling tips (read: stop raiding your grandmother's crochet projects) and looks wonderfully fresh and nubile.

An apt new image and an aptly titled new album that may just give the singer once labeled by praise-stingy Simon Cowell as "the best singer" on American Idol the breakthrough she so fervently wished for in her one of her songs: "� I'll make a wish, take a chance, make a change and break away."