Well.. That was a damn surprise.
I counted Carrie out as pure pop drivel after Some Hearts and gave her last two albums half of a glance before moving on to the next thing. Based solely on my first run through of Blown Away, however, I'd say this is easily THE album of 2012 thus far, and probably one of the best albums I've heard this decade.
I'm not one to issue effusive praise on message boards and forums, but Carrie's earned it. The writing on this album is not only LIGHT YEARS ahead of her three albums, but also of higher quality than 99% of what's on radio today, country or otherwise. Blown Away (song), Two Black Cadillacs, See You Again, Forever Changed, Good in Goodbye, and Wine After Whiskey (HOLY LORD at this one) are all masterfully written. One Way Ticket and Cupid's Got a Shotgun, while goofy to the core, are both extremely clever and witty, so they're strong in that respect. The remaining songs are by no means poorly written, the aforementioned bunch is just strikingly strong.
As far as singles go, they could honestly release 12 of the 14 with no problem. "Blown Away," "Two Black Cadillacs," "Cupid's Got a Shotgun" and "One Way Ticket" are the obvious picks, but let me suggest that they mix things up and use either "Nobody Ever Told You" or "Do You Think About Me" as a single. Carrie hasn't really done the feel-good thing, and that goes over really well at radio. Not to mention that it's about time that a well-written, well-sung feel good song takes to the Country Chart. I've heard enough precocious blather in that sub-genre.
I'd also like to take a minute to bow to Mark Bright, who FINALLY realized that more production does not equal a better song. Unlike on previous efforts, Blown Away is about Carrie's voice, not Mark Bright's latest toy.
All-in-all, an easy 9 out of 10. I could see adjusting this up to 9.5 when I re-listen at a more reasonable hour. Carrie, you done good. I always knew there was more to you than Louisville sluggers and wreckless driving.