Stop lip-synching to that power ballad for a 'mo, Idol fans; Kelly Clarkson is ready to unleash her fourth album, and the disc could arrive as early as December, reports Entertainment Weekly.

Clarkson, an infrequent blogger, teased the first tidbit of good news last month when she announced that she'd wrapped recording with producer Dr. Luke (Lukasz Gottwald).

Considering the Texas native has spent much of the last year on tour with country superstar Reba McEntire, there's been speculation that Clarkson may ditch her Pat Benatar 2.0 pop-rock persona for a Carrie Underwood-style vibe on any upcoming projects.

Not so, says Dr. Luke. And as good news to anyone who's been screaming "Since U Been Gone" into their hairbrush every morning, at karaoke night or over the phone at 3 a.m. to assorted exes, EW is suggesting that Clarkson's first single is a spiritual sibling to 2004's ultimate breakup anthem, which is also one of Pitchfork's newly minted Top 500 songs.

The track, called "My Life Would Suck Without You," (or should it be "Sux W/O U?") was whipped up by "Since U Been Gone" co-writer Max Martin.

"After 'Since U Been Gone,' we wrote all these songs for Kelly," Dr. Luke told EW. "This one, which I think is the first single, we had the chorus a while ago and added the verse more recently."

Clarkson’s reps haven’t confirmed this news (perhaps Clarkson is too busy catching up on the last few eps of True Blood?), but according to the producer -- who's honed tracks by everyone from Britney Spears to Weezer -- the single was meant to be ready by Nov. 20 but is now being considered for a Dec. 8 worldwide release.

And it seems Clarkson's recording sessions were enough to leave the (naturally, totally unbiased) Dr. Luke mildly incoherent and making bizarre sports analogies out of awe. "It's sick. She sings a song in two hours and kills it. You're just, like, 'holy s---.' She has powerful lungs. She's like the Lance Armstrong of vocal cords."

The promotion of Clarkson's last record, 2007's My December, was the source of some frustration for Idol's most successful alum. While the disc was certified platinum in Canada and the U.S., the connected world tour was cancelled due to disappointing ticket sales. Reports of drama between Clarkson and her label also swirled during the time of the record's release, with Clarkson making claims that the label had tried to get her to ditch the project and record other songwriters' (less-moody) work. Clarkson subsequently took up new management, Reba McEntire's husband, Narvel Blackstock.

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