| Restless - Sara Evans | |
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It's been three years since Sara released Born To Fly, her biggest selling album to date, at 2 million copies sold. While Sara has changed her style a bit since her debut album, Three Chords and the Truth, which was stone country, yet didn't do well on the charts, or in sales, her fourth album, Restless shows even more versatility in her song choices. From the soaring power ballad "Niagara," to the upbeat song "To Be Happy," to the Celtic sounds of "Restless," to the bluesy "Big Cry," and the fun country romp, "Suds in the Bucket" Sara covers the styles perfectly.
Traditionalists will still mourn the true country sounds of Three Chords and the Truth, but will be able to enjoy the Bluegrass-inspired Feel It Comin' On," and the fun "Suds in the Bucket," about a girl that "left the suds in the bucket and the clothes hanging out on the line" as she runs off with her boyfriend.
If you enjoy contemporary country pop, there is a lot to like in Sara's album. She's one of today's best female voices around, with a clear crisp sound, and it sounds like she is sitting right next to you singing as you listen to the album.
"Rockin' Horse" is one of the five songs co-written by Sara, and talks about a rocking horse made by her dad from an oak tree that was struck by lighting. She sings that it was "something magic out of something frightening." I love this song! It's one that after you hear it a time or two, you won't be able to get it out of your head. Vince Gill sings background vocals on this tune.
"Backseat of a Greyhound Bus" is the first single from the album, and is currently sitting at 18 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles charts as I write this. The song tells the story of a girl who gets pregnant out of wedlock, and leaves her hometown, and ends up having her baby on the backseat of the bus "somewhere between Jackson and Memphis." She finds what she was missing in her newborn daughter.
The title cut "Restless" has a Celtic feel to it with Irish drums and tin whistles. She sings "I'm a leaf on the river, fallen from the tall oak tree. Drifting down this moving streem, wherever this life carries me."
My favorite track has to be "Niagara," which shows off Sara's range and vocals to perfection. I would love to hear her sing this live. "Asking me not to love you is like asking Niagara not to fall." I've always been a fan of ballads over the faster tempo songs, and this is definitely one of the best. Gotta be a single.
"Perfect" sings about how you don't have to have candlelit dinners and not everything fits like a perfect puzzle piece. She sings, "Love can be rough around the edges, tattered at the seams."
Another fun cut is "Otis Redding" which would never be mistaken for country, but is just so darn much fun to listen to, you can't help but like it. She sings about how "Otis Redding makes me feel good, dancin' in the kitchen barefoot" as she asks her boyfriend to come on over.
"Feel It Comin' On" sings about knowing that the relationship is over, and she says "Well did you think that I was born yesterday? I may be blind but I can hear what you won't say." It's really fast paced, with some great fiddle and mandolin work.
"When I look at you, I see the souls of our unborn children." is how "I Give In" starts. What a great opening line. She wants to know that her lover will still be there in the morning. She isn't sure, but she agrees to "give in."
"Suds in the Bucket" is the countriest song on the album, and is great fun. The girl is old enough, and in love with her boyfriend, and she leaves home with just a little note saying "sorry but I gotta go." This is my second favorite from the album, and it's gotta be a single.
I gotta say, the first listen, I didn't care for all of the songs right off the bat, but after a couple more times through, I can't stop singing these songs. It's another winner for Sara. She has the guts to make an album that includes different styles of music, and I'm sure she'll have several hits to show for it. Go Sara!
Song List:
Album cover courtesy of RCA Nashville.
Listen to sound clips of all the songs at CMT's Track a Day,
or clips above courtesy of Sara Evans (Official).
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