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Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride

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Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride

Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride

Arista Nashville / Sony BMG
Bottom Line:

This is a solid sophomore release for Carrie Underwood. She's continuing to prove that she's not just another pretty face who won a contest. Her voice continues to carry her to the top of her game.

Carnival Ride is the much anticipated second album from former American Idol Carrie Underwood. The first single, "So Small," is currently burning up the charts. It was co-written by Underwood, as were three other songs on the album. I always seem to enjoy albums more when they include songs written by the artist who is performing them. The emotions just seem to be more real when an artist sings about something that really means something in their life instead of just singing words that are written on a paper.

Underwood has a phenomenal voice, and her first album really set a high standard for what was to follow. This album feels a little more 'country' with lots of fiddle, mandolin and banjo heard in the background. Underwood's first love is country music, and that is what she wishes to sing. Having come from a show like American Idol, it has been an uphill battle for her to be able to sing in this genre. She has done an excellent job of keeping it just contemporary enough on the sound to please her Idol fan base while making sure the country flavor is included, gaining her new ground in being taken seriously as a country artist.

Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood

Sony BMG
This thirteen track album is well put together in terms of keeping the listener interested and wanting more. It's a good mix of upbeat, fun, sad and thought provoking. Lyrically it touches on a variety of subjects that people deal with on a daily basis, which makes it something that the average person can relate to. There were several songs I really liked, although I enjoyed all of them.

On the ballad side, "So Small" has a great message of love and what really counts in the world. "Just A Dream" is about young love that dies a tragic death when a new bride attends the funeral of her military husband who will never come home to live the life they dreamed of. "Crazy Dreams" picks up the pace with a positive message about dreaming big, working for what you believe in and watching the dreams come true. This is another song co-written by Underwood. "Last Name" is a tongue in cheek female version of going to Vegas having a little too much to drink and waking up with a new last name. She nailed the Randy Travis ballad "I Told You So." It was beautiful. In "The More Boys I Meet" she laments that the more guys she runs into the more she likes her dog. The album closes with "Wheel of the World," which just takes a look at the incredible circle of life and how everything is interconnected.

Underwood continues to raise her personal bar in album quality; this is definitely one worth checking out. You won't be disappointed.

Track List:

  1. Flat on the Floor
  2. All-American Girl
  3. So Small
  4. Just A Dream
  5. Get Out of This Town
  6. Crazy Dreams
  7. I Know You Won't
  8. Last Name
  9. You Won't Find This
  10. I Told You So
  11. The More Boys I Meet
  12. Twisted
  13. Wheel of the World

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