PopMatters: Blown Away Album Review (Belated)

[teesharky]

This was just posted in late August apparently, and it is good! They gave her 7/10-- which is excellent for this blog. If you guys remember-- Pop Matters gave Play On 2 stars out of 10, and ruined her metacritic score for Play On. I think they fired that guy and got a new critic-- because this guy loved the album and only disliked 2 songs-- GIG and OWT.

Carrie Underwood: Blown Away < PopMatters

But that’s only two out of 14. Everything else is worth hearing, learning, and trying to love. Bright’s production choices render the songs personable even when his leading lady isn’t—the acoustic stadium stomp of “Leave Love Alone”, Brad Paisley’s wicked guitar on “Cupid”, and the stuttering “na-na-na"s of “Nobody Ever Told You” linger long after the songs end. So does the sense of distance. Think back to Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” and its great line, “Right now, she’s probably sayin’ ‘I’m drunk’.” Song lines don’t get any better than that, at characterization, humor, and just plain smack-yourself-in-the-forehead recognition. The song’s writers, Josh Kear and Chris Tompkins, have teamed up here for “Blown Away” and “Cupid”—but if you recognize yourself or someone you know in these new songs, it’s probably from your perch on Mt. Olympus.


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[Claire2004]

Thanks Tee! Back in May I was dreading/anticipating the review from PopMatters, but I stopped watching out for their review after several weeks, I thought they decided not to do one for BA. 7/10 is awesome!

[bearball49]

I read this before and thought it had been posted. I was a little surprised how Much he disliked GIG...frankly if aongs dud not often share similar themes, we would have run out of new songs long ago. There are some similarities to Garth's Unanswered Prayers, but only vaguely. I think GIG stands on its own both lyricly and musically. I am even more surprised how much he like WAY, but not complaining as it is one of my favorites as well. Good review, but you can not help but wonder what another singer would have received as a rating, he nentioned several times that Carrie " did not seem human" I interpret that as being ultimate but backhanded praise.

[teesharky]

^ YEah but you should compare this review to the review Pop Matters gave to Play On: They trashed everything and gave it 2 starts out of 10-- which destroyed Carrie's metacritic rating and gave her "mixed reviews" for that album.

So this time- I will happily take 7/10 from this critic. He clearly likes this cd much better even if he is not a big Carrie fan.

I do agree he is crazy to trash GIG and like WAY. lol

I love WAY, but GIG is better.

[nccountrygal]

I think GIG is one of Carrie's better co-writes. I like it but I am not sure how well it will do as a single but I think it is a very good song.

[teesharky]

^ Agree. I don't really want GIG as a single as it is a bit slow, but I do love the song.

[Farawayhills]

The "unhuman" aspect, which recurs through the review, seems to be implying that Carrie's out on her own, on some superior, almost "divine" plane, like the mythological Mount Olympus. It's a rather ambiguous metaphor - because while it implies that Carrie has an exalted command over her voice and material, it also suggests that it makes her songs somewhat unreal and unbelievable. However, I don't share that "unbelievable" feeling - I think it comes from some people's preconception of Carrie as someone you just can't connect with her dramatic songs. But as he himself says - learn from the songs themselves. I feel her grief in FC, I do sense abuse, confusion and eventual release in BA, and I do find TBC chilling. He brings in a comparison with "Goodbye Earl" - but I don't share his conclusion about TBC being made the more "inoffensive". TBC is, for me, the more chilling song, the more Gothic in imagery, with the black veils, crimson smiles, and blues influenced "bye byes", and the more faithful to the "murder ballad" tradition. "Goodbye Earl" does indeed involve two women disposing of a husband - but his repeated violence and contempt for the law gives them a justification, and the murder, disposal and women's escape are all handled with humour and satire - something lacking in the starker imagery of TBC. For me TBC works as the convincingly chilling murder ballad, while GE is the more "sanitized" fantasy song. (Also, the reviewer doesn't mention that Carrie herself co-wrote TBC, while the Chicks only got to record GE when Sony refused to let a male band release the song.)

But people are always going to disagree over individual songs. In general, this is a pretty good review, that opens up the album to people who might not otherwise consider it, and gets people thinking, even on the points that he not happy with.

[teesharky]

Agree. I find 2 Black Cadillacs very chilling -- and as one critic said- "Deliciously Dark." Good bye Earl has always felt lighter and funny in some ways. lol

[kewlie78189]

awesome review!