Kelly Clarkson’s New Ballad “Call Me” Surfaces As She Pulls Out Of Lilith Fair

Robbie Daw | July 2, 2010 9:04 am

Things aren’t looking so hot for Lilith Fair. The New York Times reports that 10 dates of the female-oriented music fest have been yanked, including stops in Salt Lake City, Montreal and Dallas. “We are in the midst of one of the most challenging summer concert seasons with many tours being canceled outright,” said Lilith co-founder Terry McBride in a statement. Making matters worse, karaoke fan Kelly Clarkson has pulled out of her scheduled appearances on the tour. Oh, well—at least there are about two minutes of a new song from her that just surfaced to ease the pain, KC fans! Hear it below.

[wpaudio url=”//idolator.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Kelly-Clarkson-Call-Me-Clip.mp3″ text=”Kelly Clarkson – Call Me” dl=”0″] Unlike other Clarkson numbers such as “Wash Rinse Repeat,” “Who’s That Girl” and “Naked Eye” that have cropped up in recent months, this one, “Call Me,” is more in the “Already Gone”/”Because Of You” piano ballad vein. It’s the kind of slow number that showcases the First Lady Of American Idol‘s powerful vocals—well, when you can actually hear them through all the call-outs that someone slapped on there.

“Call Me” certainly isn’t the most upbeat track, but so far it sounds like it’s more complete than the previously-mentioned rough demos that we’ve heard.

And getting back to Kelly’s lack of lady love for Lilith Fair, here’s what she wrote on her official site yesterday:

“With the news of cancelled Lilith dates and my current progress in the studio, we’ve made the decision not to tour this summer. I’m going to miss seeing y’all, but I hope that when you hear what we’ve been working on, you’ll be as excited as I am. I’ve been working with some amazing people and am stoked about this next album!”

Are you as stoked as Kelly is for her next album? What do you think of “Call Me”?