There are many pleasures to be found in Kelly Clarkson’s cover of Rihanna’s “Bitch Better Have My Money,” but, sadly, the satisfaction of the proemial “bitch” is not one of them.
Clarkson’s rendition may be PG-rated, but it replaces profanity with power—her voice is a dazzling instrument, one capable of teasing out mini-melodies and unexpected grace notes in the delivery of a single word. That ability is enhanced by the cover’s slowed-down tempo, which allows Clarkson to turn Rihanna’s upbeat cash anthem into a sultry and tenacious lounge tune.
