Amazon.com: 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
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - THE QUEEN OF COUNTRY REIGNS.............
This cd is unbelievable and deserves all the kudos and awards it has received. Carrie Underwood's first cd was a powerhouse seller and also garnered her critical acclaim and tons of awards. But as with any artist it is the second release that showcases their creativity and true talent.
This cd far surpasses the first, which I loved, in song selection, vocal performance and interpretation and Carrie proves herself a true unique talent with her own special gifts.
I can put this cd in my player and let it run over and over for there is no filler here for me. But there ... Read More
Rating: - Carrie Review
I'm certainly no music critic; I like things like art or music because they appeal to my ears and/or eyes. And this album (and artist!) certainly meet that criteria, so I like the album and give it five stars. Carrie is very talented and I don't care if my friends don't like this kind of music. I think she has a beautiful voice and I like her music and I support her.
Rating: - An even better sophomore CD!
It's rare that a sophomore album outshines the first one, especially if the first was an award winning album. But Carrie Underwood's Carnival is even better than her first CD, Some Hearts. And that's not to say Some Hearts wasn't a fantastic CD. Carrie Underwood is managing to give some youth and life to the country music scene.
Carnival Ride is full of catchy, youthful, fun, well sung songs. Some of my favorites are: Flat on the Floor, All American Girl, So Small, Get out of this Town, Crazy Dreams, Last Name, Wheel of the World and The More Boys I Meet. And while many of these ... Read More
Rating: - Carrie Underwood
I wanted this CD for the song "Last Name" which is a favorite song of mine, however, the rest of the CD is great. If you like Carrie Underwood this is the cd to get......
Rating: - Not just for country-music fans
Carrie Underwood has a fantastic voice, and this is a great CD to listen to. I heard her for the first time on an American Idol show, and she was fab, and I'm happy that I purchased the CD.
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