Carrie Underwood Fans
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Rank the Cry Pretty clips/snippets
- Thread starter Claire2004
- Start date
Farawayhills
Well-known member
I should stress that I've only been able to hear the short Google Play clips (I-Tunes doesn't cater for my operating system).
From the new clips:
Top standouts:
1 Drinking Alone - sounds very much my kind of music!
2 The Bullet - could easily change places with DA on a fuller hearing. This sounds likely to be deepest song, and perhaps stylistically the most interesting departure for Carrie
Showing strong promise:
3 Ghosts on the Stereo - good concept, but I want to hear how it develops
4 Low - a great stylistic choice, but the possible problem for me is that I've heard a lot of this style, and I'm not entirely sure how I relate to the match between the style itself and her voice. I'd like to like it very much, but I need to hear more.
Interesting experiments - but hard to judge properly on these clips
5 Spinning Bottles - could turn out to be one of her most admired vocals, and a strong theme. The difficulty for me is that the vocal glide into a higher "head" register isn't a device I really take to. However objectively good, it's unlikely to be a personal favourite for me.
6 Southbound - interestingly, even in a 30 second clip, the song seems to have two quite different stylistic impressions. I really want to hear the development of that complexity
The snippet suggests a more familiar vocal, with not much departure from Carrie's earlier style (A feeling I also had with Love Wins)
7 Backsliding
A couple that I didn't really feel would prove to be among my favourite songs (albeit on very short acquaintance!)
8 That Song That We Used To Make Love To
9 Kingdom
From the new clips:
Top standouts:
1 Drinking Alone - sounds very much my kind of music!
2 The Bullet - could easily change places with DA on a fuller hearing. This sounds likely to be deepest song, and perhaps stylistically the most interesting departure for Carrie
Showing strong promise:
3 Ghosts on the Stereo - good concept, but I want to hear how it develops
4 Low - a great stylistic choice, but the possible problem for me is that I've heard a lot of this style, and I'm not entirely sure how I relate to the match between the style itself and her voice. I'd like to like it very much, but I need to hear more.
Interesting experiments - but hard to judge properly on these clips
5 Spinning Bottles - could turn out to be one of her most admired vocals, and a strong theme. The difficulty for me is that the vocal glide into a higher "head" register isn't a device I really take to. However objectively good, it's unlikely to be a personal favourite for me.
6 Southbound - interestingly, even in a 30 second clip, the song seems to have two quite different stylistic impressions. I really want to hear the development of that complexity
The snippet suggests a more familiar vocal, with not much departure from Carrie's earlier style (A feeling I also had with Love Wins)
7 Backsliding
A couple that I didn't really feel would prove to be among my favourite songs (albeit on very short acquaintance!)
8 That Song That We Used To Make Love To
9 Kingdom
twaintrain
Well-known member
I only listened once to most of them so this will probably change.
1. Low
2. Drinking Alone
3. Spinning Bottles
4. Ghosts on the Stereo
5. Southbound
6. Backsliding
7. TSTWUTMLT
8. The Bullet (story song, need to hear whole story)
9. Kingdom
1. Low
2. Drinking Alone
3. Spinning Bottles
4. Ghosts on the Stereo
5. Southbound
6. Backsliding
7. TSTWUTMLT
8. The Bullet (story song, need to hear whole story)
9. Kingdom
montdu39
Well-known member
In Spinning Bottles, she only goes to her falsetto voice in the first chorus, the second chorus she belts it full out. I think once you hear the longer clip or the full song you will fall in love with the emotion and the power in her voice. And the fact that the production allows her voice to shine.
Smokyiiis
Well-known member
I don't know, I just cant decide... This whole CD is packed with outstanding songs....... not one song really that I could say would not be to my liking..... Never in all my years of listening to some of the great country female vocalists, has there ever been one that does what Carrie does to me vocally..... She is just that perfect with her voice and her songs.......
Farawayhills
Well-known member
Thanks to Donna's ever helpful care for the fans in archiving sound, and to Claire's thoughtfulness in giving me the link, I have now heard the fuller clips. Although I agree with Smokyiiis that a proper assessment has to wait for the full tracks, the longer clips did give a stronger feel to the songs - and enabled me to revise my rankings (though those could well change again in a few days!)
1. I'd now place "The Bullet" as my top choice. (That is no surprise - I always guessed it would have a big potential - I just wanted to hear more of it). It has the depth I wanted, and appears to have the strongly immersed and expressive delivery that I felt was not fully achieved in the more universally targeted, but hence more "middle ground" Love Wins. As someone who's long been wanting a song like this from Carrie, I'm tempted to say thank you to Allen Shamblin for maybe giving her "the song that built her", in terms of her critical reputation.
2. "Low". On first brief hearing, I had some concerns about the match between her voice and the "Southern Soul" style of the song. Singers of this style set the bar high, but on hearing the fuller clip, I'm convinced that she handles it well. Another memorable song.
3. Spinning Bottles. A lot of depth and emotion here - and even the fuller clip doesn't really develop where i suspect it's capable of going. The "head voice" vocal shift, which I personally don't relate to, only seems to occur in the first chorus, as has been pointed out. On reflection, I suspect the higher notes have been used at that early point to suggest the reference to spinning bottles being a children's game - though that is obviously a metaphor for much deeper meaning as the song progresses. I agree with montdu about the more restrained production, and the focus on the vocal. This song, when completely heard could be a real standout.
4. "Drinking Alone" loses a little, for me, on fuller exposure. I think this may be a comparative rarity for me - a Carrie song in which I actually prefer the choruses to the narration. The chorus refrain is pretty much exactly the style I most wanted for her - but I'm less keen on some of the verse passages, which come close to a 'talking Blues' style in places. Although that would be compatible with a traditionally styled song, it doesn't seem to me to particularly suit her vocal as well, and I would want to hear more of the 'cry' that she brings to the main refrain.
5. "Ghosts on the Stereo". I'm surprised that some people have described this as a traditional song - I don't hear it that way (notwithstanding the reference to Hank, Haggard and Jones, which seems almost incidental to the main thrust of the song). I hear it as more a statement of the singer's mood than a tribute to legends. The music is progressive, and makes considerable use of a short, repetitive chord structure, that may be intended to suggest the haunting theme. Again, this is one where we probably need the full song to see how the theme is developed.
6. "Southbound". The unusual background influence in the music (which one of the listening party found difficult to pin down) contains elements of Cajun and Zydeco. When I was speculating earlier on what it might be, that certainly didn't come to mind. I wouldn't have expected that on a Mainstream album - and it shows Carrie's eclectic range of the styles she samples.
7. "Kingdom" Another case where the fuller clip sounded more interesting than the short preview. A sincere vocal, and some good musical touches
8. "Backsliding" I still feel this is more of a stylistic reassurance, less innovative, and more reminiscent of earlier work - but that is no bad thing.
9 "That Song That We Used To Make Love To". Not really a style that appeals to me, but I'm sure it will to some.
In conclusion, I would say that, for those who obviously love the style, the album retains elements of a "Pop Country" approach, giving enough scope for accessible singles. But for fans (like myself) that have long wanted a move away from an emphasis on "Pop Country" this preview gives me several examples that do that. In that respect, Carrie has gone further than I expected - in all the areas of progressive music, more nuanced mood vocals, deeper themes, and a more wide ranging modern Roots feel, and I would rate this as likely to be her most Alternative leaning album yet
1. I'd now place "The Bullet" as my top choice. (That is no surprise - I always guessed it would have a big potential - I just wanted to hear more of it). It has the depth I wanted, and appears to have the strongly immersed and expressive delivery that I felt was not fully achieved in the more universally targeted, but hence more "middle ground" Love Wins. As someone who's long been wanting a song like this from Carrie, I'm tempted to say thank you to Allen Shamblin for maybe giving her "the song that built her", in terms of her critical reputation.
2. "Low". On first brief hearing, I had some concerns about the match between her voice and the "Southern Soul" style of the song. Singers of this style set the bar high, but on hearing the fuller clip, I'm convinced that she handles it well. Another memorable song.
3. Spinning Bottles. A lot of depth and emotion here - and even the fuller clip doesn't really develop where i suspect it's capable of going. The "head voice" vocal shift, which I personally don't relate to, only seems to occur in the first chorus, as has been pointed out. On reflection, I suspect the higher notes have been used at that early point to suggest the reference to spinning bottles being a children's game - though that is obviously a metaphor for much deeper meaning as the song progresses. I agree with montdu about the more restrained production, and the focus on the vocal. This song, when completely heard could be a real standout.
4. "Drinking Alone" loses a little, for me, on fuller exposure. I think this may be a comparative rarity for me - a Carrie song in which I actually prefer the choruses to the narration. The chorus refrain is pretty much exactly the style I most wanted for her - but I'm less keen on some of the verse passages, which come close to a 'talking Blues' style in places. Although that would be compatible with a traditionally styled song, it doesn't seem to me to particularly suit her vocal as well, and I would want to hear more of the 'cry' that she brings to the main refrain.
5. "Ghosts on the Stereo". I'm surprised that some people have described this as a traditional song - I don't hear it that way (notwithstanding the reference to Hank, Haggard and Jones, which seems almost incidental to the main thrust of the song). I hear it as more a statement of the singer's mood than a tribute to legends. The music is progressive, and makes considerable use of a short, repetitive chord structure, that may be intended to suggest the haunting theme. Again, this is one where we probably need the full song to see how the theme is developed.
6. "Southbound". The unusual background influence in the music (which one of the listening party found difficult to pin down) contains elements of Cajun and Zydeco. When I was speculating earlier on what it might be, that certainly didn't come to mind. I wouldn't have expected that on a Mainstream album - and it shows Carrie's eclectic range of the styles she samples.
7. "Kingdom" Another case where the fuller clip sounded more interesting than the short preview. A sincere vocal, and some good musical touches
8. "Backsliding" I still feel this is more of a stylistic reassurance, less innovative, and more reminiscent of earlier work - but that is no bad thing.
9 "That Song That We Used To Make Love To". Not really a style that appeals to me, but I'm sure it will to some.
In conclusion, I would say that, for those who obviously love the style, the album retains elements of a "Pop Country" approach, giving enough scope for accessible singles. But for fans (like myself) that have long wanted a move away from an emphasis on "Pop Country" this preview gives me several examples that do that. In that respect, Carrie has gone further than I expected - in all the areas of progressive music, more nuanced mood vocals, deeper themes, and a more wide ranging modern Roots feel, and I would rate this as likely to be her most Alternative leaning album yet
DirtyLaundry
Active member
As of now:
1. Low
2. The Bullet
3. Spinning Bottles
4. Drinking Alone
5. Ghosts on the Stereo
6. Backsliding
7. Kingdom
8. Southbound
9. TSTWUTMLT
1. Low
2. The Bullet
3. Spinning Bottles
4. Drinking Alone
5. Ghosts on the Stereo
6. Backsliding
7. Kingdom
8. Southbound
9. TSTWUTMLT
simonplay
Well-known member
After hearing the full songs:
1- Drinking Alone (+1)
2- Low (-1)
3- Kingdom (+1)
4- The Bullet (+1)
5- TSTWUTMLT (+2)
6- Southbound (=)
7- Spinning Bottles (-4)
8- Ghosts on the Stereo (=)
9- Backsliding. (=)