Country Universe - Blown Away review

[hjj]

I just think Carrie may not really care that much about cohesiveness as much as diversity, jmo. She frequently talks about listening to everything and using shuffle on IP and excited to see what comes up. She totally looked amazed/flustered w/ the ideal that anyone would play an album over and over, when she was asked the question of what album she would take on a deserted island to listen to continously. I listen to her albums more often and frequently on repeat and can not do that to others. Even 21 is enjoyable but does not compare to Carrie's albums. I have 2 Miranda's albums but not much of a fan of hers I guess, since I rarely if ever listen to them.

[huggablebri]

I have no trouble with Taylor or Lady A making pop songs, or else I wouldn't like Carrie. I have a MAJOR problem with the double standard placed towards carrie.
Becca

Oh I totally agree with you there. I am a big fan of Keith Urban but I dont really find much if any of his music particuarly country. Nobody cares that Jason was rapping. Or Kenny does Reggae.

[bigbluegrl23]

Oh I totally agree with you there. I am a big fan of Keith Urban but I dont really find much if any of his music particuarly country. Nobody cares that Jason was rapping. Or Kenny does Reggae.

yea exactly. Kenny's new song is definitely pop. Miranda may have twang but her music isn't traditional. no music is. when Dolly and Reba were in their prime, theyre music wasn't considered traditional i'm sure. Critics who cry about something being too pop are just longing for the olden days. Carrie should be way more focused on impressing new fans, as opposed to the old farts haha. the new ones will carry her career.
Becca

[JB172]

Oh I totally agree with you there. I am a big fan of Keith Urban but I dont really find much if any of his music particuarly country. Nobody cares that Jason was rapping. Or Kenny does Reggae.

I would go with the if any on Urban, lol.

I just go with the if you are on a country label then you are a country artist phililsophy.

[jbrown]

yea exactly. Kenny's new song is definitely pop. Miranda may have twang but her music isn't traditional. no music is. when Dolly and Reba were in their prime, theyre music wasn't considered traditional i'm sure. Critics who cry about something being too pop are just longing for the olden days. Carrie should be way more focused on impressing new fans, as opposed to the old farts haha. the new ones will carry her career.
Becca

Your last sentence is too funny.lol. You're right though, the critics dont want to move on, they are stuck on their old ways of what country music is supposed to be but like the reviewer said from the Philippine Star, Carrie is breaking out on this BA era and reinventing the so called country music. Go Carrie.

[epicamends]

Lots of deep thinking thoughts from people in this thread.lol Look lets face it. I love the album, but Carrie and her team made this album to have a huge crossover hit, and if that doesnt happen for them, then that is on their shoulders.. Just look at the way the album tracks are placed on the album. You have to go to the fifth track on the album " Do You Think About Me", to actually get to the first real country song. What does that tell you? Team Underwood had to know they were taking a chance with this album, and I trust they know what they are doing. When Tay Tay makes pops songs we get all foamed at the mouth here. When Carrie does it we make excuses/ go into denial..lol JMO>

I can't agree there. If that were true, they would remix and push harder to have her songs played on other formats. They don't much seem to care about any format other than country, however. If something naturally crosses over, they'll be all for it, but they're not going out there with the intent to have a huge crossover hit.

[thunder92]

^I agree. We have to remember Carrie loves all type of music.

how I see it. Carries music is country, pop, rock and all of the above. I dont think her music is country alone.
however, her heart is in country and that will always make her a country artist

So when people accuse her songs of being pop, it doesnt bother me because they are sometimes. But she will always be a country artist at heart.

I dont know if that makes a whole lot of sense lol but thats how I see it

[huggablebri]

I can't agree there. If that were true, they would remix and push harder to have her songs played on other formats. They don't much seem to care about any format other than country, however. If something naturally crosses over, they'll be all for it, but they're not going out there with the intent to have a huge crossover hit.

I guess those are questions that us on the outside might never find out. I just cannot believe that when it takes millions to make an album, that the people in charge would have this whatever happens,happens attitude. Or why the first two songs released from the album you wouldn't really consider country song.

[thunder92]

I guess those are questions that us on the outside might never find out. I just cannot believe that when it takes millions to make an album, that the people in charge would have this whatever happens,happens attitude. Or why the first two songs released from the album you wouldn't really consider country song.

But both GG and BA are considerably two of the best songs on the album so why release weaker songs?

Blown Away lyrically is extremely country, just not musically

Good Girl is just a pop/rock song. No denying there

[liveasong]

Good music is good music. Labels are for music stores.

Carrie Underwood is in a genre of her own.

[Suellen]

I really think if another artist sang BA the critics would be saying “BA is a great country song.”

[Carrieflattsfan]

I definitely don't think Carrie or her team had the intention of creating an album that was 'less country' simply so she could cross over. Carrie has already established that's not important to her.

The way I see it, Carrie was tired of being boxed in as one type of artist, so she went for it and let all her influences come out. As the old saying goes, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em." At this point it doesn't matter what Carrie sings; critics will find the negative in anything that isn't traditional. I don't believe Carrie would ever take a calculated approach to writing songs or recording, but I'm not surprised that her pop/rock influence came out. That is a big part of her life, after all. Part of being an artist is embracing who YOU are; country or not, Carrie stayed true to her influences with something like Good Girl.

I would think her label is also happy Carrie showcased her pop/rock side on so many tracks, too. This way, they'll be no remixing and Carrie can release songs she's proud of that show she's more than just a one- trick pony.

[liveasong]

Carrie's delivery of country songs is SO MODERN and CONTEMPORARY that it f*cks the critics' minds.

they know where they can stick it.

[nccountrygal]

Oh I totally agree with you there. I am a big fan of Keith Urban but I dont really find much if any of his music particuarly country. Nobody cares that Jason was rapping. Or Kenny does Reggae.

I think Keith Urban is more rock than anything and I would say that GG is more like the songs Keith usually releases. However, I don't recall hearing anyone complain about Keith not being country or his songs are too rock. Didn't that Jimmy Carter guy say something about GG when it was released that there was nothing country at all about that song? I doubt he says that about any of Keith Urban's songs. Maybe Keith got a lot of criticism when he first came to country music but I sure don't hear anyone complaining about his music not being country. I am Keith Urban fan and I love his music but I would say he is more rock than country.

Anyways, as far as the pop thing I really don't care what Carrie's songs sound like as long as I like them and as it has been mentioned before Taylor and LA have been winning tons of awards for their pop music which is classified as country. The country music industry does not seem to have a problem with them.

[bigbluegrl23]

exactly. and honestly guys, in reality, this is one review. there have been good reviews of Blown Away and especially Good Girl. Good Girl got critical acclaim. and remember Blown Away got positive reviews. we're all just super fans so the one negative thing stands out like a sore thumb. our continual focus on it means this reviewer wins so maybe its time to move on.
Becca

[allamericangirl8]

I made a comment over at Country Universe about how Carrie didn't care about genre, that she was just expressing herself and releasing music the way an artist should. Someone agreed with me and spun it as a negative.

[carrieismy1idol]

Borrowed or not, Carrie Underwood ALWAYS does it better. ALWAYS.

Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself

[jea103mar]

Great post. Have fun !!!

[Claire2004]

I like this comment on the article:

I’m hearing alot of give and take about this song being in the country or pop genre. I can’t think of anyone that can tell me what a country song sounds like or should sound like. Country music is storytelling, period. How someone decides to tell that story is their choice. If country radio decides it’s a story, it plays it, if not, it doesn’t. People have to get used to the fact that today’s country is not even close to sounding like it did 20, 30, 40 years ago. So, if you like BA, good. If you don’t, great, but don’t start saying Carrie is leaving the genre because of some production changes. IMO, the production had to be that way to tell the story. Listen to the rest of the cd if you want so-called traditional country. Carrie leaving the country genre, you’ve got to be kidding.

[jaks_weyn]

But both GG and BA are considerably two of the best songs on the album so why release weaker songs?

Blown Away lyrically is extremely country, just not musically

Good Girl is just a pop/rock song. No denying there

I think it's just the production that made BA a little not country sounding...
cause when Carrie sang it acoustically, it sounded country.. well to me at least...

But I agree, GG and BA are two of the strongest, if not, the strongest songs in the album