^ well some
of the reviews are great as they should be. Washington Post, EW and All Music Guide were great! Time Mag abd NewsDay were great too. NY Times abd Rollingstone were good overall.
It’s really just LA Times abd the British abd Canadian papers that seem to slam
her. They do every time though so I am
not surprised. I just wish they would give her a chance but they never do.
I do notice the British critics seem particularly nasty this time- except for the nice review Faraway Hills just posted. Are they mad at Carrie fir cancelling??!
No, I don't think it would have anything to do with cancellations (reviewers have often had their review copies before the cancellations were announced, with an embargo on publication before release; also, unless they're reviewing the event itself, they tend to ignore particular shows in album reviews. The two events, Long Road and Hyde Park, were largely aimed at somewhat different music lovers anyway - having to cancel was a great shame, but is unlikely to have much effect on how the album is received. She may be able to perform at similar events next year).
I think the worst British review was in the Guardian - a politically Left-leaning paper which was probably disappointed with the degree of specific reference shown in the two "issue" songs (which had been somewhat hyped on social media, probably arousing unrealistic expectations of a more explicitly political stance - or enabling already cynical doubters to throw in a smug put down). I think the Highway Queens review that I linked to was much more sensitive to the climate in which Carrie operates, and much more appreciative of the attention she
was drawing to those issues.
I don't want to "jinx" any potential build up for Carrie in the UK, of course - but I do feel that I should warn fans against having too high expectations for this market. Steady growth in awareness and appreciation is more realistic than a surge to World domination. Carrie has to please a number of tastes, which may not be easy to reconcile (and her Mainstream radio base in the US is still going to be of great importance.). Where, I feel, Michelle is being realistic in the Highway Queens review, is where she draws attention to stylistic points that may struggle a bit to get general approval in the UK. I'll pick out some of those (remember, though that I'm highlighting them out of context, in what is overall a very sympathetic and supportive review)
"you do kind of dream of hearing a more rootsy version or at least some light fiddle and banjo like she had on her earlier albums."
"If you’re willing to accept that nearly every song on this album ends with power chords, a guitar solo and hitting the top note then you can’t help but be won over by what she’s trying to do."
"Maybe the production is too much at times but this isn’t a Dave Cobb record."
"I’m not going to lie and say this album is for everyone. If you don’t like power ballads and power singing you won’t like the best songs on here."
"[songs] which attempt that weak modern pop country sound which the singles she’s released seem to fight against"
"The best songs on this album go for an epic, 80s rock sound instead which in my opinion works but can be unpalatable to some and is generally no longer that fashionable"
I think those points emphasize that tastes over here are often a bit different from those in Carrie's main market in North America (which is very focused on what's being played on Mainstream radio). I think a good many older Country fans here will favour a more traditional sound, and a good many younger ones tend to lean towards what is often called "Americana", which has an active live music following. There is a market in between, which may prefer the power ballads, but I don't think it's all that large. Reconciling all those demands is not easy.
