Continuing my look at the albums of 2004…

Kelly Clarkson has had a successful career on multiple platforms. She started as a reality TV star, the first winner of American Idol. That achievement led her to a recording career spanning nine studio albums in 18 years. It also led to a starring role in the movie From Justin to Kelly, though the less said about that one the better.

She has had far more success as a TV host, with coaching stints on The Voice and her own talk show in the time slot abandoned by Ellen Degeneres.

Even given all of that, Clarkson’s pinnacle may well have come in 2004, with the release of her sophomore album, Breakaway.

After a debut release that featured a tame pop sound deemed suitable for the Idol audience, Clarkson sought out co-writers and producers who could help push her sound into heavier territory. The result was a guitar heavy pop rock album that made great use of her strong, emotive vocals.

Singles ‘Breakaway,’ ‘Since U Been Gone’ and ‘Behind These Hazel Eyes’ were muscular relationship anthems safe enough for the yearbook crowd but edgy enough for the grown-ups. They propelled Breakaway to multi-platinum status, with more than 6 million copies sold in the U.S. alone.

The rest of the album falls short of those excellent singles, but the vibe is consistent and Clarkson cements her appeal as a pop star worthy of a bigger stage.