Thankful (Kelly Clarkson album)

Template:Use mdy dates {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |{{#if: Template:Start date | Template:Short description}}}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=Breakaway2004studioThankfulThankful Album.PNGyesKelly ClarksonTemplate:Start date2002–2003* The Loft Recording Studios (Bronxville, NY)<ref name=linernotes>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>

• The Hit Factory (New York, NY)<ref name=linernotes>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>
• The Record Plant (Los Angeles, CA)<ref name=linernotes>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>
• The Enterprise (Burbank, CA)<ref name=linernotes>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>
• The Studio (Philadelphia, PA)<ref name=linernotes>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>
• Sound Gallery Studios (Los Angeles, CA)<ref name=linernotes>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>
• Blue Iron Gate Studio (Santa Monica, CA)<ref name=linernotes>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>
• Westlake Recording Studios (Hollywood, CA)<ref name=linernotes>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>
• HP Studios (Los Angeles, CA)<ref name=linernotes>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>
• Capitol Studios (Los Angeles, CA)<ref name=linernotes>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>
• The Underlab (Los Angeles, CA)<ref name=linernotes>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>
• Homesite 13 (Los Angeles, CA)<ref name=linernotes>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>
• Larrabee West Studios (Los Angeles, CA)<ref name=linernotes>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>
• Rokstone Studios (London, England)<ref name=linernotes>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>
• The Gentleman's Club (Miami Beach, FL)<ref name=linernotes>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>Template:Hlist45:31Template:HlistTemplate:Hlistx|2=</?t[drh][ >]|nomatch=}}|Template:Main other}}Template:Main other}}

Thankful is the debut studio album by American singer Kelly Clarkson, released in the United States by RCA Records on April 15, 2003. "Miss Independent" was its first single, followed by "Low" and "The Trouble with Love Is". Initially, the album had been scheduled to be released in November 2002, however, Clarkson's demanding schedule and difficulty finding tracks that suited her taste and image forced the album to be delayed several times.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By the time the album was released, over six months had elapsed since "A Moment Like This" had reached number one.

The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 selling 297,000 copies. "Miss Independent" went on to be a top ten hit in the United States. Thankful has sold 2,800,000 copies in the United States, receiving a 2× platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).<ref name="billboard.com">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In Canada, Thankful was certified platinum for 100,000 copies shipped by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA).<ref name="Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA)">Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Gold & Platinum - January 2004 Template:Webarchive</ref>

Background

Clarkson co-wrote four of the 12 tracks included on the final album.<ref name=":1" /> In total, 15 other songwriters are credited on the album.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite news</ref> Two songs originally on the album, "Trace of Gold" and "Today for Me", written by Stephanie Saraco, were replaced just before the album release by "Anytime" and "A Moment Like This". Early released versions of the CD still show the original tracks on players that read the data from the CD itself (such as Windows Media Player). The two songs have yet to be heard by the general public. Copies of Thankful sold during its first year of release contained a computer program that could be loaded, and used with the internet for artist updates and music videos. The program ceased to function when her official RCA website was launched. Thankful included four cover tracks, "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" originally by Aretha Franklin, "Some Kind of Miracle" originally sung by Puff Johnson, "Anytime" by Mary Griffin and "Just Missed the Train" by Trine Rein. "Just Missed the Train" was previously covered by Danielle Brisebois and Carly Smithson (then Carly Hennessy), who worked on much of her album with Brisebois, and would ironically become an American Idol finalist herself six seasons later.

In addition to pop, the album explored genres such R&B and gospel.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Rome Neal of CBS News called it a combination of gospel songs, ballads and a little bit of rock 'n' roll.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Critical reception

Critical reception towards Thankful was generally positive.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Critics agreed on Clarkson's talent as a vocalist but found the album's musical direction to be heavily manufactured and overproduced.<ref name=":3" /> On Metacritic, a website that compiles various reviews, the album received a score of 62, indicating generally favorable reviews.<ref name=metacritic>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Entertainment Weekly noted that "Clarkson glides through octaves with the masterful control of someone who's been doing this for decades".<ref name=ew>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Rolling Stone gave the album three out of five stars, praising Clarkson's talent and vocal abilities, while criticizing the album for feeling manufactured. They note that "[her] high notes are sweet and pillowy, her growl is bone-shaking and sexy, and her midrange is amazingly confident for a pop posy whose career is tied for eternity to the whims of her American Idol overlords".<ref name=rs>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

On the other hand, Q gave the album a very negative review, stating that the album "has her trilling like Mariah Carey on fluffy R&B tunes."<ref name="metacritic"/>

Commercial performance

Release of the album was preceded by the single "Miss Independent", which became a top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit and a number one top 40 smash. In thanks to the success of the single, as well as buzz from her American Idol win (Clarkson also appeared several times on the show's second season to promote Thankful), the album sold well in the United States. It managed to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 with 297,000 copies sold. The album sold over 1 million copies in six weeks.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> According to Nielsen SoundScan, Thankful has sold 2,800,000 copies to date in the US.<ref name="billboard.com"/> Further single releases "Low" and "The Trouble with Love Is" did not replicate the success of the first single. "Just Missed the Train" and "You Thought Wrong" had been planned for possible single releases, but after the underperformance of "Low" and "The Trouble with Love Is", they were canceled.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Impact and legacy

Despite its success and launching Clarkson's career outside of American Idol, some musicians and music critics dismissed her early success as being exclusively reliant on the television program's popularity,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and saw her as having little potential longevity as a pop star in the industry.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> Unconvinced that she was more than a reality television creation,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> some journalists such as Josh Tyrangiel felt that the album's broad appeal limited its impact and failed to strengthen Clarkson's creative standing with her label or her management.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite magazine</ref> For subsequent music releases, beginning with her second studio album Breakaway (2004), Clarkson demanded more creative control over her projects, including co-writing some of its songs and adopting an "edgier", more rock-leaning musical direction.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Some critics deemed Breakaway Clarkson's opportunity to prove her legitimacy as an artist again.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Melody Lau of HuffPost said it was only through Breakaway that Clarkson would finally embrace the "Miss Independent" persona she wanted to be known for.<ref name=":3" />

Preston Jones of the Dallas Observer said the success of Clarkson's debut is one of the albums that "represent the apex of Idol’s commercial success, as well as the formidable grip the televised singing competition industry had on the charts in the early aughts".<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2023, Jones said that unlike some of her fellow alumnae, Clarkson managed to establish a career for herself "based more on their own skills than by any association with American Idol", and in retrospect Thankful "illuminates the path Clarkson would spend the next two decades walking".<ref name=":1" />

Track listing

Template:Track listing Template:Track listing Notes

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Personnel

Musicians

• Kelly Clarkson – lead vocals, backing vocals (2, 4, 5, 11)
• Carl Sturken – keyboards (1, 5), drum programming (1, 5), guitars (5)
• Rhett Lawrence – programming (2, 4), guitars (2), scratching (2), arrangements (2, 4)
• Clif Magness – keyboards (3, 6), acoustic piano (3, 6), programming (3, 6), acoustic guitar (3, 6), electric guitars (3, 6), bass (3, 6), arrangements (3, 6)
• Kenneth Crouch – organ (4)
• Matthew Wilder – acoustic piano (7), programming (7), guitars (7)
• Babyface – instruments (8, 9)
• Harvey Mason Jr. – instruments (8, 9)
• Louis Biancaniello – keyboards (10), programming (10), arrangements (10)
• Steve Mac – keyboards (11)
• Jeremy Ruzumna – organ (11)
• Doug Emery – keyboards (12), programming (12), arrangements (12)
• Jim Gasior – acoustic piano (12)
• Olle Romo – guitars (2)
• Tim Pierce – guitars (4)
• James Harrah – guitars (7)
• Corky James – guitars (8)
• Chris Camozzi – guitars (10)
• Pathik Desai – guitars (11)
• Paul Gendler – guitars (11)
• Fridrik Karlsson – guitars (11)
• Dan Warner – guitars (12)
• Tommy Sims – bass (4)
• Mike Elizondo – bass (7)
• Reggie Hamilton – bass (8, 9)
• Steve Pearce – bass (11)
• Randy Jackson – bass (12)
• Steve Ferrera – drums (1, 2, 4, 11), percussion (11)
• Josh Freese – drums (3)
• Abe Laboriel Jr. – drums (7)
• Teddy Campbell – drums (8)
• Lee Levin – drums (12)
• Wayne Rodrigues – scratching (2)
• Dave Arch – string arrangements (11)
• Cindy Mizelle – backing vocals (1)
• Evan Rogers – backing vocals (1)
• Suzie Benson – backing vocals (2)
• Danielle Brisebois – backing vocals (3, 6)
• Sherree Ford – backing vocals (4)
• Sharlotte Gibson – backing vocals (4)
• Lorenza Stopponi – backing vocals (5)
• Rebekah Jordan – backing vocals (7)
• Tamyra Gray – harmony vocals (8)
• Mary Griffin – backing vocals (10)
• Conesha Owens – backing vocals (10)
• Sam Watters – backing vocals (10), arrangements (10)
• Debra Byrd – backing vocals (11)
• Leslie Smith – backing vocals (11)
• Gina Taylor – backing vocals (11)
• Chris Willis – backing vocals (12), BGV arrangements (12)
• Aisha Wright – backing vocals (12)
• Betty Wright – backing vocals (12)
• Jeanette Wright – backing vocals (12)

Strings (Tracks 1 & 5)

• Larry Gold – arrangements and conductor
• James Cooper III – cello (1, 5)
• Jennie Lorenzo – cello (1)
• Alexandra Leem – viola (1)
• Peter Nocella – viola (1)
• Daniela Pierson – viola (5)
• David Yang – viola (5)
• Charlene Kwas – violin (1)
• Emma Kummrow – violin (1, 5)
• Charles Parker Jr. – violin (1)
• Igor Szwec – violin (1, 5)
• Gregory Teperman – violin (1)
• Ghislaine Fleischmann – violin (5)
• Gloria Justen – violin (5)

Strings and French horn on "Before Your Love"

• David Campbell – arrangements and conductor
• Suzie Katayama – orchestra manager
• Bette Ross-Blumer – musical assistance
• Joel Derouin – concertmaster
• Richard Todd – French horn
• Larry Corbett and Dan Smith – cello
• Bob Becker and Darrin McCann – viola
• Charlie Bisharat, Bruce Dukov, Berj Garabedian, Peter Kent, Michele Richards, John Wittenberg and Ken Yerke – violin

Production

• Clive Davis – executive producer
• Andrea Derby – production coordinator (1, 5)
• Jolie Levine-Aller – production coordinator (8, 9)
• Brian Coleman – production manager (12)
• Frank Harkins – art direction
• Brett Kilroe – art direction
• Tony Duran – photography

Technical

• J.D. Andrew – engineer (1)
• Rich Balmer – engineer (1)
• Al Hemberger – engineer (1, 5)
• Rhett Lawrence – Pro Tools engineer (2, 4), mixing (2)
• Steve McMillan – Pro Tools engineer (2, 4), mixing (2)
• Olle Romo – Pro Tools engineer (2, 4)
• Jim Watts – Pro Tools engineer (2, 4)
• Andy Zulla – Pro Tools engineer (2, 4), engineer (11), mixing (11), additional recording (12)
• Clif Magness – engineer (3, 6)
• Csaba Petocz – engineer (7)
• Paul Boutin – recording (8, 9)
• Dave Russell – recording (8, 9), mixing (8, 9)
• Louis Biancaniello – engineer (10), mixing (10)
• Sean Tallman – engineer (10)
• Sam Watters – engineer (10)
• Matt Howe – engineer (11)
• Chris Laws – engineer (11)
• Robin Sellars – engineer (11)
• Carlos Alvarez – recording (12), mixing (12)
• Steve Churchyard – recording (12)
• Jules Gondar – recording (12)
• Craig Lozowick – recording (12)
• Dan Bucchi – assistant engineer (1)
• John Ishizeki – assistant engineer (1)
• Kevin Harp – assistant engineer (3, 6)
• Cesar Ramirez – assistant engineer (3, 6)
• Quentin Dunn – second engineer (7)
• Kevin Mahoney – assistant engineer (8, 9)
• Joel Sheppard – assistant engineer (8, 9)
• Daniel Pursey – assistant engineer (11)
• Cosbie Cates – second engineer (12)
• Jimmy Hoyson – second engineer (12)
• Jeff Kanan – second engineer (12)
• Greg London – second engineer (12)
• Marcelo Marulanda – second engineer (12)
• Doug Emery – additional recording (12)
• Conrad Golding – additional recording (12), second engineer (12)
• Dino Hermann – additional recording (12)
• Lee Levin – additional recording (12)
• Jeff Chestek – string engineer (1, 5)
• Gordon Goss – assistant string engineer (1)
• Vincent Dilorenzo – assistant string engineer (5)
• Tony Maserati – mixing (1, 4, 5)
• Dave Pensado – mixing (2)
• Bob Clearmountain – mixing (3, 6)
• Mike Shipley – mixing (7)
• Steve Ferrera – mixing (11)
• Brendan Kuntz – mix assistant (1)
• Matt Snedecor – mix assistant (1, 5)
• Jim Briggs – mix assistant (5)
• Pat Woodward – mix assistant (5)
• Dabling Harward – vocal editing (8, 9)
• Stephen Marcussen – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for Thankful

Chart (2003–2006)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref name="AUchart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	33
Canadian Albums (Billboard)<ref name="CAchart">Template:Cite magazine</ref>	5
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)<ref name="NLchart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	83
Irish Albums (IRMA)<ref name="IRLchart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	46
Japanese Albums (Oricon)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	19
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)<ref name="NORchart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	12
Scottish Albums (OCC)<ref name="UKchart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	44
UK Albums (OCC)<ref name="UKchart"/>	41
US Billboard 200<ref name="USchart">Template:Cite magazine</ref>	1

Year-end charts

2003 year-end chart performance for Thankful

Chart (2003)	Position
US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	31
Worldwide Albums (IFPI)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	41

Release history

Release history and formats for Thankful

Region	Date	Label	Format
Canada<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	April 15, 2003	Sony BMG	CD
United States	Template:Flatlist
Europe	July 7, 2003	Sony BMG
Japan<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>		July 23, 2003
Australia	September 15, 2003
Brazil	December 18, 2006