CARRIE UNDERWOOD - Jesus Take the Wheel

Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride, new cd Carrie Underwood became the fourth American Idol winner in May of 2005, then released a new single, "Inside Your Heaven," which went straight to No. 1. She has an album in the works, due out in November of 2005.

"People have so many stereotypes of people from where I come from. If you say you're from Oklahoma, it'll be like, 'Oh, so you milk cows, feed chickens, ride bulls, all that stuff, right?' And it's like, 'No. We don't ride around in covered wagons, either.'" -Carrie Underwood

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Underwood's second album a step down - but it'll still sell


She loves Jesus and Jack Daniel's, the Rolling Stones and Rascal Flatts. She's the farmgirl-next-door from the great state of Oklahoma; she's the legs-aplenty champ from American Idol. She sings for the single city gals; she sympathizes with the house fraus. She plays state fairs and stadiums, working multiculti crowds with a politician's precision and a bombshell smile.

Country star Carrie Underwood is all things to all people, which is one heck of a trick for a 24-year-old. Seriously, Willie Mays didn't cover the bases like Underwood does. As a result, the blond looker is one of the bestselling musicians of the past three years, her 2005 debut, Some Hearts, having sold more than 6 million copies. Hit singles ranged from religious plea Jesus, Take the Wheel to besotted revenge fantasy Before He Cheats. Each song had just enough butter-knife edge to separate them from the other pop-country dreck.

Not that content mattered that much. At a time when selling albums is a Herculean task, Underwood is a marketing marvel, a product of Simon Fuller, Clive Davis and the rest of the Idol star-making machine. She was born on television, raised on radio and nurtured by a widespread country fan base that believes in brand loyalty. As to the real Carrie Underwood, who the heck knows? She might as well be a Disney princess, which is entirely the point.

With her new album, Carnival Ride, Underwood could wind up being the top seller of 2007, too. Never mind that her second disc lacks the pop punch of the first album. Never mind that it's not very clever. Never mind that it's actually pretty dull. Underwood keeps her nose clean, dates Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks and does whatever her handlers tell her. And for that reason alone, she'll remain the pop star to beat.

Along with Kelly Clarkson. Chris Daughtry and Fantasia Barrino, Underwood is one of the more skilled alums to come out of American Idol. She has a sturdy voice that ranges from a pop-rock smolder to a high-soaring Nashville wail. She can hit and hold her notes. She also believes the words she's singing, which made her cover of the Pretenders' I'll Stand by You the best thing she's done so far.

But Underwood, who takes a co-writer credit on four out of the 13 new tracks, doesn't have much to work with here. With song titles such as All-American Girl, Just a Dream, Crazy Dreams and Get Out of This Town, it's obvious that Team Underwood is trying to reinforce her aw-shucks, just-out-of-Checotah persona. Never mind her million-dollar bank account: She's just like you, flipping fries, punching numbers, driving a hatchback. Of course, that hokum is a lot easier to swallow when the songs aren't as cliched as the titles.

Producer Mark Bright, who also helmed Some Hearts, uses more fiddle and twang on this one. But for the most part, it was miles better the first time around. Syrup-smothered first single So Small ("Don't run out on your faith . . .") is basically Jesus, Take the Wheel without the catchy chorus. Last Name ("Last night I got served a little bit much of that poison, baby") is a knockoff of Before He Cheats, but without the tipsy 'tude. If you're looking for a singer who really knows how to wield a pool cue, check out Underwood's evil twin, Miranda Lambert.

Underwood gives each song her plucky cheerleader all, of course. And sometimes, but not very often, she's able to pull a track out of the dumper. A sexy, growly vocal gives opening done-me-wrong song Flat on the Floor true Southern-rock grit. And she turns ho-hum breakupper I Know You Won't into a torch song doozie reminiscent of Elton John's 1970s balladry.

But with the exception of a few shimmering moments, Underwood suffers a sophomore creative slump. If this is a Carnival Ride, we're definitely talking the Tilt-a-Whirl. But alas, this is Underwood World we're talking about here, a profitable fantasyland for sure. So don't be surprised when the line for this Ride, no matter how crummy, goes on forever.

Carrie Underwood

Carnival Ride

0 Comments about Carrie Underwood:

Post a Comment

<< Home