Coming from the singing competition show juggernaut that was American Idol can open many doors at the beginning, especially if you won the entire thing, but it has been hard for some to keep those doors open. Unless you are country darling Carrie Underwood. The winner of season four of AI has gone on to become the best-selling contestant from the show and she has no plans to slow down. I am not a huge country fan, but Underwood’s fourth studio album, Blown Away, does nothing but impress. Preceded by country/pop single “Good Girl”, traces of my beloved Shania Twain are noticed throughout the new project that treads new waters for the country artist.
Underwood releases her big guns first with “Good Girl” spearheading the effort. Underwood has been known to release beautiful ballads, but her up-tempo tracks have always made me smile. The album’s lead single may well be Underwood’s best up-tempo release of her career, even surpassing “Before He Cheats” vocal wise. Underwood warns a good girl about the trouble her ex will bring. Ladies stay away, you have been warned with country/pop perfection.
Ask me what I think should be the album’s next single and I will quickly yell out the title track’s name. “Blown Away” is nothing short of greatness. The track has more of a country-feel to it than the lead single, but Underwood’s vocals give it something so powerful that I feel it can be another crossover hit for her. Underwood had said the album would carry a darker tone, and I see what she means. My favorite track on the project.
The dark material keeps on rolling with “Two Black Cadillacs”. The song seems to tell a story of two women who have been cheated on by the same man. The wife and the mistress meet for the first time to give him exactly what he deserves. Killing him may be excessive but the Thelma & Louise vibe makes for one hell of a song. Underwood’s vocals soar to new heights and whoever wrote the track deserves applause.
“See You Again” plants its roots deep into country territory, written strictly for the genre unlike the tracks that preceded it. The mid-tempo track is sweet and innocent just like the artist as she tells the one she loves it is not the last time he will see her. The song may not be as adventurous as the album’s strong opening, but it is a nice effort performed very well.
The strong country vibe stays intact for “Do You Think About Me”. Again, Underwood is singing about a love that could be, wondering if her man thinks about her the same way she thinks about him. Underwood’s charm shines brightly on the soft, ballad-like track that seems like it could fit in perfectly with a Taylor Swift album, just done ten times better.
Underwood proves her win on American Idol and her successful career are warranted with a haunting performance on “Forever Changed”. The artist’s vocals are soft and somewhat comforting, I got lost in the beauty of her voice for a minute. “She remembers the change in her body/the blooming within”, Underwood sings as she tells the story of how a woman’s life changes forever, nothing stays the same.
The up-tempo tracks return with “Nobody Ever Told You”, a song of encouragement as the artist tells her listeners they shine like diamonds. I commend the song for its positive message of self-beauty and strength. Underwood makes sure people love themselves for exactly who they are in a cute, carefree performance. I feel that the track could be a single later on down the road. Wouldn’t be a bad choice.
Carrie made sure she threw in a summer smash hit when she included the beach-inspired “One Way Ticket” on the final track list. I will not be surprised if I hear this song blasting from the speakers of many college students’ vehicles the next few months. The song has single written all over it and I like the fact that it is something new from the artist, haven’t heard this sound from her before.
I feel “Thank God for Hometowns” was written specifically for me. I have had some problems with the small town I grew up in, but Carrie advices that you will miss the quiet place you may hate at the moment. The song has country written all over it, and I usually do not like the story telling feel of the genre, but Underwood makes an impact on me. I just want to run back home and enjoy the little things.
The Ryan Tedder-penned “Good in Goodbye” was one of the many tracks climbing the iTunes chart shortly after the album’s release and there’s a good reason for that. First off, the track is heartbreaking, filled with emotion, and highly relatable. And second, even though the song may not have as much crossover potential as others, it carries as strong a punch as Beyonce’s “Halo” and Kelly’s “Already Gone”. A sure-to-be hit.
The moment I have been waiting for finally arrives when “Leave Love Alone” comes on. I have always thought if anyone would take Shania Twain’s “Queen of Country” title than Carrie would be the girl. Underwood seems to be giving her best Twain impression on the track on it actually blows me away. The song may be subpar, but Underwood’s vocals are the real highlight, they did nothing but impress.
If you want to two-step your way through a song on the album, then your best bet would be “Cupid’s Got a Shotgun”. With Brad Paisley on the guitar supporting his girl, Carrie runs through the 90s-inspired country track like it was nothing hard at all. Mixing love with fire arms is nothing new or groundbreaking, in fact it appears in almost every country song, but Underwood lets the dated material breathe a little.
When the listener gets to “Wine Over Whiskey”, they will probably know the track was leftover from the artist’s previous recording sessions. I am happy Underwood decide to go back and give the song another shot. The result is a beautiful, well-written song that may be one of the best pieces of the entire effort. The ballad describes a love gone wrong and you can actually feel the heartache in the artist’s voice.
The album closes with another Shania Twain-inspired track. Written by Twain’s ex-husband, “Mutt” Lange, “Who Are You” shows Underwood belting out powerful lyrics in a song that seems to be leftover from Twain’s recording sessions. The track progresses like a classic Twain song, but Carrie makes it completely her own. The closing song packs a nice punch, leaving the listener with a positive reaction for the album.
Blown Away is hands down Underwood’s best album to date. The artist ventures down roads she has not yet and it pays off. Underwood had stated the album would feature darker moments compared to her previous efforts, and it does, but only for the first three tracks or so. The album then turns it a light and airy summer effort with some somber ballads thrown in for good measure. Underwood’s vocals have always made her a winner and they do not disappoint here. The project mixes country, pop and rock in order to create a fun, meaningful album. It receives an 88%.
Tracks to Hear: “Blown Away”, “Two Black Cadillacs”, “Thank God for Hometowns”, and “Wine Over Whiskey”
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