Clarkson hits the mark

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Screeching isn't something we normally associate with first-season "American Idol" champ Kelly Clarkson — although that's the sound that came from her direction this summer, when her career nearly lurched to a halt.

By the end of June, the Grammy-winning vocalist — who, to date, has sold 15 million records — had ditched her management team; Live Nation announced the "postponement" of her planned tour; and her third album, "My December," had finally arrived after months of controversy. The record was an artistic victory for Miss Clarkson, who had wrested a good deal of creative control from her record label (despite RCA mogul Clive Davis' best efforts). Yet "December's" darker, rock-edged material marked a significant and risky departure from her previously girl-powered pop.

No, things didn't look good at all for Miss Clarkson. But somehow, she managed to get back on the road and pick up some speed.

Wednesday night at DAR Constitution Hall, the tenacious Texan illustrated why she isn't going to disappear until she feels like it. First, there's that voice, bell clear, always on target and staggeringly big. Then there's her winning personality, a combination of confidence and charisma, tempered with girl-next-door sweetness and a slight Southern drawl. She makes eye contact with fans and frequently waves at her audience, striking a careful balance between impressing and connecting.

So her new tunes are a little morose, perhaps even bitter. So her pipes and small-town-girl charms seem better suited for power ballads and spunky pop tunes. Miss Clarkson is finding her way as an artist, and Wednesday's crowd of teenaged girls, college coeds and older couples showed their support of this journey in the form of ear-piercing shrieks and thunderous applause.

Miss Clarkson's hour-plus set relied heavily on tracks from "December," including the raucous "Hole," the clubby "One Minute" and the gentle ballad "Be Still" (her "momma's favorite"). If audience members were put off by her shift from Christina Aguilera-to Evanescence-style tunes, they didn't let on; in fact, they mouthed all the words to most of the new songs.

Of course, they also sang along to the older hits she played off her 2003 debut, "Thankful," as well as her 2004 follow-up, "Breakaway." Miss Clarkson pogo-ed through the latter album's "Walk Away," cooed a pared-down version of "Because of You" accompanied only by Wurlitzer, and closed with a spirited rendition of "Since U Been Gone." A mash-up of her first album's "Miss Independent" and AC/DC's "Back in Black" was one of the few missteps — one that, for some, might have reinforced the notion that Miss Clarkson just isn't tough enough to pull off pure rock 'n' roll.

At times, the driving rhythms and full-volume vocals felt slightly repetitive, and on occasion, even Miss Clarkson's pipes had a hard time piercing through the wall of sound.

She more than made up for these lapses, though. We'd be thoroughly surprised, for example, if anyone who sat through her stirring, soulful take on Patty Griffin's gospely "Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)," wasn't at least a little moved.

"My December" may have marked a change of season for Miss Clarkson, but the 25-year-old's career isn't freezing over just yet.