Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Carrie UnderwoodBrand: Baker & Taylor
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2007-10-23
Music Label: Arista
Soundtracks:
- Flat on the Floor
- All-American Girl
- So Small
- Just a Dream
- Get Out of This Town
- Crazy Dreams
- I Know You Won't
- Last Name
- You Won't Find This
- I Told You So
- More Boys I Meet
- Twisted
- Wheel of the World
Free Music Notes for Carnival Ride
Free Music Review: She Delivers
Hit: 5 Stars
Expectations were high. And she delivered.
It's not easy to top the success of a 6x platinum selling debut. When Carrie Underwood won American Idol, her first official single "Inside Your Heaven" was released and she dropped out of the limelight to put material together for an album. For a while, no one heard much from her. The initial reaction to "Jesus Take The Wheel" was only lukewarm and for a brief time it looked as though Carrie might disappear into oblivion. Then somehow the torch ballad caught on and it spread like a wildfire. Later, Carrie proved she wasn't a one-dimensional singer when she became a revenge-seeking ex in the smash hit "Before He Cheats".
"Carnival Ride" is decidedly more country than "Some Hearts", though pop fans shouldn't find it too hard to swallow. Carrie took it upon herself to become more involved with the songwriting process and she shows genuine confidence while doing so. She also puts more fire and conviction behind the words this time around, straying away from formula techniques and throwing in her own style more often. Behind these songs is a young woman coming into her own: Someone who's more inclined to say what she thinks and feels. It's obvious from the opening track Carrie is much more comfortable in the studio. Her voice is clearer and purer. She's having more fun. Oftentimes on "Some Hearts", Carrie never formed an emotional connection with the lyrics she sang. She now owns the songs she sings.
Flat On The Floor:
It opens with an intensity reminiscent of Garth Brooks' "Ain't Goin' Down" and doesn't ever slow down. It's not that the song is incredibly fast: It's the combination of gritty country rock and Carrie's growling vocals that create the aggression. Carrie declares she will wait out the storm of a possessive ex and emerge a stronger person. Immediately, she seems to be showing off more personality. (5/5)
All-American Girl:
This is the overly sweet song of the album. In typical storybook fashion, Carrie sings about a man who wanted nothing more than the perfect son, only to be surprised by the arrival of a little baby girl instead, who he of course falls in love with. This is the first song we hear in which Carrie contributed her songwriting skills. It's a little rough around the edges, especially during the verses. Nonetheless it has that country charm complete with twang and appealing harmonies. (4/5)
So Small:
Apparently this is the "Carnival Ride" version of "Jesus Take The Wheel" with everything kicked up a notch. The musical formula is similar, but the strings are louder and the last chorus is extremely intense. At this point, Carrie's vocals are impressing almost constantly and she sounds like she's really singing from the heart. (5/5)
Just A Dream:
If you thought "So Small" was good, wait until you hear this heartbreaker. Rather than preachy goodness, Carrie dwells on despair as she laments for a young woman who has lost her love while defending the country. The lyrics perfectly portray the racing thoughts and feelings one might feeling in that situation, and the music compliments the same emotions. 5/5
Get Out Of This Town:
Unfortunately this is one of the few tracks that could be considered filler. The title of the song says it all. There isn't anything groundbreaking in the song and it sounds too much like so many other songs. However, there are some nicely written lyrics and overall the song is inviting. It's nice to have on in the background. 4/5
Crazy Dreams:
Carrie's homage to all the young wannabes of the world, this is one of the most encouraging songs on the album. It's perfect for aspiring youngsters and encapsulates pop country at its best. 4/5
I Know You Won't:
If you want to hear Carrie's best vocals ever, just listen to this. Her control is amazing and she soars from soft to strong in seconds. It's a simple song, more bluesy than country, and sees Carrie singing of a slowly dying love. This is one of those songs that seems made for her. She belts out the chorus so crisply it's hard to imagine someone else singing it, and her conviction is so evident. She brings it home. 5/5
Last Name:
This is an incredibly humorous song in which Carrie drinks a little too much, falls in lust with a random guy one night and wakes up the next morning with a ring on her finger in a hotel room in Vegas, all without ever asking the guy his last name. Similar to "Flat On The Floor" in style, Carrie sings this well and obviously enjoys it. 5/5
You Won't Find This:
Just call this "Don't Forget To Remember Me" reincarnated and slightly altered. The familiarity is nice however, and one of the best lyrics of the entire album is in this song: `there's once a lifetime and there's once in a while; the difference between the two is about a million miles.' 4/5
I Told You So:
Originally released by Randy Travis, Carrie does a fine job with it. This is the perfect song to listen to if you're drowning in self pity after being slapped in the face emotionally by an ex. Just when you think you've realized how much you need someone, they've already moved on. Carrie's vocal sensitivity is wonderful. 4/5
The More Boys I Meet:
This is a charming track, but unfortunately seems a bit juvenile. Carrie's vocal delivery is still great, but the lyrics could be better. She confesses the more lousy boys she meets the more she loves her dog: The concept is good, but ultimately the song is lacking. The arrangement seems to be awkward at times. 3/5
Twisted:
This is one of those moments where everything seems to come together beautifully. The lyrics and music compliment each other perfectly and Carrie's voice is very powerful. She's convincing as a woman who will stop at nothing to love a man, even if it's wrong and "Twisted". 5/5
Wheel Of The World:
Carrie scores big points with this closing number as she sings about the every day changes (good or bad) that happen to us all. The harmonies are beautiful and Carrie's softness and sincerity make this a fantastic ballad. It's a bit more contemporary than typical country, and is easy on the ears. After this concludes, you might find yourself wanting more. 5/5
Carrie tells a story well in a song, and she's grown immensely in the last couple of years. She's becoming a musician in addition to a singer. Her next album may be better than this if she continues to grow at this rate. For now, we can bask in the glow of these lovely songs.
Carnival Ride Poster
MusicPass is a wallet-size digital album card redeemable online at musicpass.com. Each card offers an album in high quality mp3 files, plus bonus content.Carnival Ride is the newest release from CMA Female Vocalist of the Year, Carrie Underwood, featuring the record-breaking single 'So Small'. As a bonus, the MusicPass version also includes the track 'Sometimes You Leave', the videos for 'So Small' and 'Before He Cheats', along with the album's digital booklet.
Carrie Underwood?s Some Hearts, hastily made and released some five months after she won the 2005 American Idol crown, was surprisingly solid and tuneful. For her follow-up, producer Mark Bright steers her toward the big Martina McBride skies, with a plethora of strings and huge emotional crescendos. Underwood co-wrote four songs, mostly with the tried-and-true tunesmiths who made Some Hearts soar. On the torchy heartache ballad "I Know You Won?t," she gives a beautifully nuanced and controlled performance, but if that song would suit any number of lush female pop stars from Celine Dion on down, "Flat on the Floor" rocks hard while preserving co-writer Ashley Monroe?s Appalachian angst. Still, there are missteps: the easy tears of the unlikely war ballad "Just a Dream," a too-obvious attempt to repeat the sass of "Before He Cheats" ("The More Boys I Meet"), and the Shania-ish bad-girl-on-Cuervo stomp of "Last Name." The big payoff, then, is how much 24-year old Underwood has improved as a vocalist. How often listeners line up for this Carnival Ride depends on their attitude about country music?s continual melding with pop, and how they feel about a princess upstart taking home the awards that used to go to her heroes. --Alanna Nash
Carrie Underwood Photos
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