Album: Carnival Ride, Carrie Underwood (2007)
Rating: 3.5/5
God put us here on this carnival ride, we close our eyes never knowing where i will take us next
That was being written on the backcover of Carrie Underwood's sophomore album Carnival Ride. Since the release of the former American Idol winner' debut album Some Hearts, Miss Underwood has certainly gone places. With honours at the American Music Awards, being nominated at the Grammys's Song Of The Year for 'Before He Cheats' and so on, she had proved that reality show winners are no flash in the pan and have staying power in the cut-throat music business.
Or maybe given she belong to the country music scene where it's not so cut-throating. Whatever it is, the latest offering from Carrie Underwood is still a joy to listen to, and still mixing country music elements with pop well.
Carnival Ride contains 13 tracks with tracks about the universal themes of love and life. Tracks which many of us can relate to in a way or another.
The opening track 'Flat On The Floor' is certainly one which is so in-your-face. Being fast-tempo, a great way to get the album going. The radio single 'So Small' actually took me a few spins before I do take a liking for it. The one track which really almost made my heart wrenched in 'Just A Dream'. It's about a bride who went to the church with her wedding dress, only to open the door of the church and realised the man she is marrying had atually passed away on the frontline. With lyrics like 'Baby why you leave me why'd you have to go/I was counting on forever now I'll never know/I can't even breathe', it's just so sad.
'Last Name' is one cheeky track. Drinking a little too much at the club and when being on the dancefloor, not knowing the last name of the guy calling the female a 'cutie' with the following day, she didn't realised what had happened the night before. Special mention to the philosophical track 'Wheel Of The World'. In fact, the line before the first paragraph of this album review appear in the appropriately final track.
Carrie Underwood did co-wrote four of te 13 tracks and 'So Small' together with 'Last Name' are among the ones I had mentioned earlier here. The song-writing instincts are still there for the former Mass Communications graduate.
There is the 'sophomore album syndrome' in the world of music business where the second album just cannot match the success of the debut one. Carnival Ride does not fall into that category for me. Still as good as the debut album.
