When Your Angels Fall Out Of The Sky

Kelly Clarkson “Take You High”

There is maybe a sense right now that “dubstep” sounds and bass drops feel a bit two years ago, but I think we’ve only scratched the surface of what those sort of dynamics can bring to mainstream pop music. This cut from Kelly Clarkson’s new album picks up where Alex Clare’s hit “Too Close” left off by using the dubstep break in a power ballad the way a rock band would stomp on a distortion pedal for the chorus. The dynamic shift in this song is pretty extreme – the verses are set to strings and synth washes, and there’s no percussion at all until the lead into the chorus. Clarkson’s voice is as powerful and strong as ever on those verses and the bridge, but her voice is broken and scattered on the chorus. This really works for the song, though I wonder what it’d be like to pair this sort of thrilling dynamic shift with her voice at full blast.

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