Carrie Underwood Fans
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Cry Pretty Album Reviews
- Thread starter Kizmet311
- Start date
twaintrain
Well-known member
^Pretty good review overall but completely disagree on “That Song...” and “Southbound”. Plus, I’m getting a little tired of reviewers putting down “The Bullet” for not pushing a leftist agenda they assume Carrie has even though she doesn’t speak about politics.
carriecountrystar
Active member
^ I agree. It's so absurd that people WANT "The Bullet" to be a political song. Roll eyes* It seems that only if Carrie full on supported left wing views, that that's the only way they would be satisfied. The bullet is not a political song.
The whole point of The Bullet is for us to empathize with the victims and their families. At first I wasn't a huge fan of the melody but as I listened to it more, the way it builds up grew on me.... "the bullet keeps on going" shows that it's not just about the moment when someone dies but the IMPACT it has on EVERYONE throughout their entire lives after that. It's an amazing song.
Again, it's absurd to want Carrie to go political. Carrie has ALWAYS been one to have empathy for all parties no matter political views and this is very much in line with the message she's sending in "Love Wins".
The whole point of The Bullet is for us to empathize with the victims and their families. At first I wasn't a huge fan of the melody but as I listened to it more, the way it builds up grew on me.... "the bullet keeps on going" shows that it's not just about the moment when someone dies but the IMPACT it has on EVERYONE throughout their entire lives after that. It's an amazing song.
Again, it's absurd to want Carrie to go political. Carrie has ALWAYS been one to have empathy for all parties no matter political views and this is very much in line with the message she's sending in "Love Wins".
prettylittlemustang
Member
Lol “agenda” woof
Hil
Well-known member
I've kinda got over reviews this album cycle. I have always been excited for them, and although most have been good, at times they just seem pointless. It's like they're not really reviewing the album, but comparing it to an album they think she should make that has the same theme or same sound, and honestly, I don't want that album anyway. My criteria for any "good album" is how many songs am I actually going to listen to vs what am I going to skip. LOL
And for the review above I love her vocals on that song. It's awesome to hear her using her lower register.
And for the review above I love her vocals on that song. It's awesome to hear her using her lower register.
teesharky
Well-known member
^ Agree. It's clear that she got very good reviews overall, with a few haters. But it's annoying that Metacritic does not count most of the Best ones. lol
Paste Magazine is traditionally an elitist snob magazine that favors Indy artists. So overall, I am ok with this review. It didn't hurt her Metacritic review.
Carrie is still at 71 on Metacritic which is very good. She deserves better-- but she will never get it from some of these critics.
Paste Magazine is traditionally an elitist snob magazine that favors Indy artists. So overall, I am ok with this review. It didn't hurt her Metacritic review.
Carrie is still at 71 on Metacritic which is very good. She deserves better-- but she will never get it from some of these critics.
opry051008
New member
I guess I'm old.... who looks at a Metacritic rating to decide whether to buy music?
snoopytan86
Member
As long as is Carrie music.. I will buy
twaintrain
Well-known member
Okay, is this one of you guys? If not, he needs to join!
Smokyiiis
Well-known member
4 1/2 stars out of 5
Album Review: Carrie Underwood Straddles Perfection On 'Cry Pretty' - Celebrity Bug
Album Review: Carrie Underwood Straddles Perfection On 'Cry Pretty'
Celebrity Bug 9/18/2018 Album Review, Carrie Underwood, Slider,
It took thirteen years, but Carrie Underwood is finally on the verge of the artistic breakthrough that we have been waiting for since her career began with her ‘American Idol’ victory in 2005.
On her sixth studio album, ‘Cry Pretty’, her first release in three years, the 35-year-old superstar took some bold chances starting with her decision to leave her longtime label Arista Nashville after 5 platinum or multi-platinum studio albums (plus a platinum hits compilation), 7 Grammy Awards and 26 chart-toppers in search of a bigger global push.
It is hard to imagine the woman who has basically ruled the genre for more than a decade potentially expanding her reach, but that seems to be the goal and with the freedom provided by her new label, Universal Music Group Nashville, she taps into herself in a way that she never has before by writing 9 of the album’s 13 tracks and co-producing the project with David Garcia("Meant to Be" by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line).
“I’m sorry, but I am just a girl. Not usually the kind to show my heart to the world”, she sings on the resilient title track that sees her acknowledging that she has held her cards close to her vest - a pretty accurate description of a catalog that has mostly been told in third person.
This time around there is more “I” and “we” than “he” or “she”, and because of that there is an emotional connection present that has often evaded her music. Whether she is getting over an ex by listening to the country greats of yesterday (“Ghosts on the Stereo”), reminiscing on old escapades (“That Song That We Used To Make Love Too”), making love in the backseat (“End Up With You”) or sipping on two-for-one margaritas (“Southbound”), it is all experimental and most importantly, it is all her.
However, the real magic happens when she teams with co-producer Garcia and her go-to-girl Hillary Lindsey, who has been a main fixture in her writing credits since her Grammy-winning debut “Jesus, Take the Wheel”. Aside from penning “Backsliding”, the Sam Hunt-tinged stunner about an impromptu rendezvous with an ex, the trio also craft the striking beautiful “Low” and the tear-jerking “Spinning Bottles”.
The latter is piano-laced cut about the downfalls of alcoholism (“He’d quit if he could.”), while the former is building heartbreaker that unfolds gorgeously (“Like a cigarette without a light.”) and features a dynamic vocal performance that starts subtle and ends with palpable force. Underwood has long been the best singer in country music and the most consistent in any genre of music, and the unparalleled range that is shown here and on the soulful “Drinking Alone”, only reinforces her prowess as a vocalist.
The riskiest (and bravest) moments form with two songs about gun violence. True to form, she tries her hardest to enlighten and not offend, but it’s a controversial issue regardless of what side of the political aisle you are on and she deserves credit for going anywhere near a subject that her peers have answered with silence.
Co-written with Garcia and Brett James, “Love Wins” begins with a stray bullet that leaves a mother in tears and builds into a romping celebration of love that is at times cliché, but always effective. She openly embraces love over hate by celebrating the differences that make us “sisters and brothers”, while simultaneously acknowledging the current state of the world (“Politics and prejudice, how the hell’d it ever come to this?”).
The impact is felt, and it only gets stronger with “The Bullet”, a sweeping tale about the unstoppable damage and sting that a single bullet has through several generations, long after it has been fired. Still, none of those moments feels as authentically real for Carrie Underwood (the person, not the persona) as “Kingdom”, the closing track that sees her singing about the highs and lows of a family that is “perfectly imperfect”.
Final Verdict
‘Cry Pretty’ is brave, emotional, vulnerable, soulful, experimental and unshakably real, and although you can tell that Underwood hasn’t completely let her guard down, she pivots into new directions with pop and R&B influences and is more open than she has ever been.
By the end of the twelve tracks (thirteen with the Ludacris-assisted bonus “The Champion”), the picture is still pretty perfect, but you can finally see some cracks and as a listener, you only hope that she continues to expand and lift the veil on the struggles of real life.
Album Review: Carrie Underwood Straddles Perfection On 'Cry Pretty' - Celebrity Bug
Album Review: Carrie Underwood Straddles Perfection On 'Cry Pretty'
Celebrity Bug 9/18/2018 Album Review, Carrie Underwood, Slider,
It took thirteen years, but Carrie Underwood is finally on the verge of the artistic breakthrough that we have been waiting for since her career began with her ‘American Idol’ victory in 2005.
On her sixth studio album, ‘Cry Pretty’, her first release in three years, the 35-year-old superstar took some bold chances starting with her decision to leave her longtime label Arista Nashville after 5 platinum or multi-platinum studio albums (plus a platinum hits compilation), 7 Grammy Awards and 26 chart-toppers in search of a bigger global push.
It is hard to imagine the woman who has basically ruled the genre for more than a decade potentially expanding her reach, but that seems to be the goal and with the freedom provided by her new label, Universal Music Group Nashville, she taps into herself in a way that she never has before by writing 9 of the album’s 13 tracks and co-producing the project with David Garcia("Meant to Be" by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line).
“I’m sorry, but I am just a girl. Not usually the kind to show my heart to the world”, she sings on the resilient title track that sees her acknowledging that she has held her cards close to her vest - a pretty accurate description of a catalog that has mostly been told in third person.
This time around there is more “I” and “we” than “he” or “she”, and because of that there is an emotional connection present that has often evaded her music. Whether she is getting over an ex by listening to the country greats of yesterday (“Ghosts on the Stereo”), reminiscing on old escapades (“That Song That We Used To Make Love Too”), making love in the backseat (“End Up With You”) or sipping on two-for-one margaritas (“Southbound”), it is all experimental and most importantly, it is all her.
However, the real magic happens when she teams with co-producer Garcia and her go-to-girl Hillary Lindsey, who has been a main fixture in her writing credits since her Grammy-winning debut “Jesus, Take the Wheel”. Aside from penning “Backsliding”, the Sam Hunt-tinged stunner about an impromptu rendezvous with an ex, the trio also craft the striking beautiful “Low” and the tear-jerking “Spinning Bottles”.
The latter is piano-laced cut about the downfalls of alcoholism (“He’d quit if he could.”), while the former is building heartbreaker that unfolds gorgeously (“Like a cigarette without a light.”) and features a dynamic vocal performance that starts subtle and ends with palpable force. Underwood has long been the best singer in country music and the most consistent in any genre of music, and the unparalleled range that is shown here and on the soulful “Drinking Alone”, only reinforces her prowess as a vocalist.
The riskiest (and bravest) moments form with two songs about gun violence. True to form, she tries her hardest to enlighten and not offend, but it’s a controversial issue regardless of what side of the political aisle you are on and she deserves credit for going anywhere near a subject that her peers have answered with silence.
Co-written with Garcia and Brett James, “Love Wins” begins with a stray bullet that leaves a mother in tears and builds into a romping celebration of love that is at times cliché, but always effective. She openly embraces love over hate by celebrating the differences that make us “sisters and brothers”, while simultaneously acknowledging the current state of the world (“Politics and prejudice, how the hell’d it ever come to this?”).
The impact is felt, and it only gets stronger with “The Bullet”, a sweeping tale about the unstoppable damage and sting that a single bullet has through several generations, long after it has been fired. Still, none of those moments feels as authentically real for Carrie Underwood (the person, not the persona) as “Kingdom”, the closing track that sees her singing about the highs and lows of a family that is “perfectly imperfect”.
Final Verdict
‘Cry Pretty’ is brave, emotional, vulnerable, soulful, experimental and unshakably real, and although you can tell that Underwood hasn’t completely let her guard down, she pivots into new directions with pop and R&B influences and is more open than she has ever been.
By the end of the twelve tracks (thirteen with the Ludacris-assisted bonus “The Champion”), the picture is still pretty perfect, but you can finally see some cracks and as a listener, you only hope that she continues to expand and lift the veil on the struggles of real life.
pklongbeach
Active member
Great review above. Of course The Bullet is getting attention. Carrie is talking about something that many don't want to dalk about, the devastation of gun violence. No different than Just A Dream talking about war violence in a way that would be unsettleing to both sides because she does not seek to tell you what you "should: believe but just the devastation that comes from the culture of it. Its a more Christian position than any other. Finding the humanity in these dangerous arguments and standing for those who are hurt and lost due to it. I like The Bullet for her voice mostly but contnue to be impressed with her ability to "go there" when others of her elk will not.
I feel the same way about Spinning Bottles. No one in her industry dare say more than "drink drink drink drink.....keep drinking" and she is willing to say what can happen to someone if they follow the industries advice. It's again brave and unpopular. But I appreciate her so much because people everywhere are suffering under it and no one will talk about it... They would rather talk about pot being evil...
My Album reivew is still to come. But this album has more "must-haves" than I have probably ever experienced on a Carrie album. I would basically keep 10 out of 13. Unfortunately all 3 that I would get rid of start the album.... and that's a challenge. But since I listen to it on a loop it's hard to tell when the album begins and ends so that helps with the sluggish opening...The entire rest of the album is greatly paced and it helps to have something just for fun on the back end...(even though The Champion is not a favorite of mine the album needed more upbeat so I am glad its there)
I feel the same way about Spinning Bottles. No one in her industry dare say more than "drink drink drink drink.....keep drinking" and she is willing to say what can happen to someone if they follow the industries advice. It's again brave and unpopular. But I appreciate her so much because people everywhere are suffering under it and no one will talk about it... They would rather talk about pot being evil...
My Album reivew is still to come. But this album has more "must-haves" than I have probably ever experienced on a Carrie album. I would basically keep 10 out of 13. Unfortunately all 3 that I would get rid of start the album.... and that's a challenge. But since I listen to it on a loop it's hard to tell when the album begins and ends so that helps with the sluggish opening...The entire rest of the album is greatly paced and it helps to have something just for fun on the back end...(even though The Champion is not a favorite of mine the album needed more upbeat so I am glad its there)
HuiZ
Well-known member
You want to get rid of LOW?!?!?!! =O
pkc4rls
Active member
*gasp* Oh gosh no you do not!!! LOW is on the fav list for some of us so no way getting rid of it lol *wink*. I find myself listening to it a lot. I love that song.
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simonplay
Well-known member
He better cancel his review then! Lol
PRGuy79
Well-known member
4 1/2 stars out of 5
Album Review: Carrie Underwood Straddles Perfection On 'Cry Pretty' - Celebrity Bug
Album Review: Carrie Underwood Straddles Perfection On 'Cry Pretty'
Celebrity Bug 9/18/2018 Album Review, Carrie Underwood, Slider,
It took thirteen years, but Carrie Underwood is finally on the verge of the artistic breakthrough that we have been waiting for since her career began with her ‘American Idol’ victory in 2005.
On her sixth studio album, ‘Cry Pretty’, her first release in three years, the 35-year-old superstar took some bold chances starting with her decision to leave her longtime label Arista Nashville after 5 platinum or multi-platinum studio albums (plus a platinum hits compilation), 7 Grammy Awards and 26 chart-toppers in search of a bigger global push.
It is hard to imagine the woman who has basically ruled the genre for more than a decade potentially expanding her reach, but that seems to be the goal and with the freedom provided by her new label, Universal Music Group Nashville, she taps into herself in a way that she never has before by writing 9 of the album’s 13 tracks and co-producing the project with David Garcia("Meant to Be" by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line).
“I’m sorry, but I am just a girl. Not usually the kind to show my heart to the world”, she sings on the resilient title track that sees her acknowledging that she has held her cards close to her vest - a pretty accurate description of a catalog that has mostly been told in third person.
This time around there is more “I” and “we” than “he” or “she”, and because of that there is an emotional connection present that has often evaded her music. Whether she is getting over an ex by listening to the country greats of yesterday (“Ghosts on the Stereo”), reminiscing on old escapades (“That Song That We Used To Make Love Too”), making love in the backseat (“End Up With You”) or sipping on two-for-one margaritas (“Southbound”), it is all experimental and most importantly, it is all her.
However, the real magic happens when she teams with co-producer Garcia and her go-to-girl Hillary Lindsey, who has been a main fixture in her writing credits since her Grammy-winning debut “Jesus, Take the Wheel”. Aside from penning “Backsliding”, the Sam Hunt-tinged stunner about an impromptu rendezvous with an ex, the trio also craft the striking beautiful “Low” and the tear-jerking “Spinning Bottles”.
The latter is piano-laced cut about the downfalls of alcoholism (“He’d quit if he could.”), while the former is building heartbreaker that unfolds gorgeously (“Like a cigarette without a light.”) and features a dynamic vocal performance that starts subtle and ends with palpable force. Underwood has long been the best singer in country music and the most consistent in any genre of music, and the unparalleled range that is shown here and on the soulful “Drinking Alone”, only reinforces her prowess as a vocalist.
The riskiest (and bravest) moments form with two songs about gun violence. True to form, she tries her hardest to enlighten and not offend, but it’s a controversial issue regardless of what side of the political aisle you are on and she deserves credit for going anywhere near a subject that her peers have answered with silence.
Co-written with Garcia and Brett James, “Love Wins” begins with a stray bullet that leaves a mother in tears and builds into a romping celebration of love that is at times cliché, but always effective. She openly embraces love over hate by celebrating the differences that make us “sisters and brothers”, while simultaneously acknowledging the current state of the world (“Politics and prejudice, how the hell’d it ever come to this?”).
The impact is felt, and it only gets stronger with “The Bullet”, a sweeping tale about the unstoppable damage and sting that a single bullet has through several generations, long after it has been fired. Still, none of those moments feels as authentically real for Carrie Underwood (the person, not the persona) as “Kingdom”, the closing track that sees her singing about the highs and lows of a family that is “perfectly imperfect”.
Final Verdict
‘Cry Pretty’ is brave, emotional, vulnerable, soulful, experimental and unshakably real, and although you can tell that Underwood hasn’t completely let her guard down, she pivots into new directions with pop and R&B influences and is more open than she has ever been.
By the end of the twelve tracks (thirteen with the Ludacris-assisted bonus “The Champion”), the picture is still pretty perfect, but you can finally see some cracks and as a listener, you only hope that she continues to expand and lift the veil on the struggles of real life.
That's a pretty great review! This person seems to get it!
I am not sure that I support this move. Mostly because no one agrees politically with me. Did you get that. Come on humor me. I'm waiting.
ok move on
I completely refute the (Celebrity Bug) assumption that we her fans have been waiting 13 years for her artistic breakthrough. Has there head been buried, guess where, all this time. Carrie walked on a stage in NYC many years ago and her first introduction of her new music was JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL. I still call that a break through . IMO they are watchers seeking relevance.