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Post by 43dudleyvillas on Nov 4, 2008 15:37:18 GMT -5
I agree that this sounds like a hit -- it is Martina's most radio-friendly single in years. And the hook is decent. But the lyrics are trite and more superficial than someone with Martina's artistic heft can get away with.
I'll give credit to the writers (Michael Davey, Andrew Dorff and Chris Robbins) for maintaining the consistency of the central image (life being a roller coaster ride) throughout the song, trite though that central image is. But it is very distracting when they break from that image. For example, I don't understand the "love collides" part -- what does love collide with, and why is anything colliding on a roller coaster ride? Also, the "shine while you have the chance to shine" line isn't consistent with the central image.
That said, I got a good giggle out of "hold on tight to what you feel inside" -- that has to be the most sentimental way of saying "don't throw up!" I've ever heard. I'm not sure whether that is clever or unintentionally hilarious.
From a production standpoint, I'm glad the studio version of this sounds a little less like a Journey song than the live version. I agree with Kevin of Country Universe that there is some good guitar work here. But the chorus sounds muddy to me. The instrumentation loses its clarity and doesn't complement Martina's voice; the background vocals are wasted, as well.
All that said, Martina had said she was looking for radio-friendly fare on this album, and with this song, I think she has done that. The song should play well to the young female demo, it has a happy charm and she sings it engagingly. So the commercial prospects look good. I'm not sold from an artistic standpoint, but I can see why Martina would want to reassert her place on country radio. This sounds like surefire top-5, and possible #1.
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Jim King
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Post by Jim King on Nov 4, 2008 18:34:29 GMT -5
I'll give credit to the writers (Michael Davey, Andrew Dorff and Chris Robbins) for maintaining the consistency of the central image (life being a roller coaster ride) throughout the song, trite though that central image is. But it is very distracting when they break from that image. For example, I don't understand the "love collides" part -- what does love collide with, and why is anything colliding on a roller coaster ride? Also, the "shine while you have the chance to shine" line isn't consistent with the central image. That said, I got a good giggle out of "hold on tight to what you feel inside" -- that has to be the most sentimental way of saying "don't throw up!" I've ever heard. I'm not sure whether that is clever or unintentionally hilarious. I took "time turns a wheel and love collides" as a generalization to another popular carnival ride, the bumper cars, where turning a wheel and colliding are the whole point. It could be that roller coasters are always associated with colliding in the news when things go wrong. "To shine while you have the chance to shine" to me is all about enjoying the roller coaster ride and life while you can because both are short. I doubt that the "hold on tight" line ever crossed the writer's minds as anything other than stick to your beliefs. I love the guitar work.
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iCF
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Post by iCF on Nov 4, 2008 19:58:18 GMT -5
As a moderate Martina fan, I gotta say: I don't really care for this at all.
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austin
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Post by austin on Nov 5, 2008 12:20:04 GMT -5
This one isn't doing it for me. It's classic Martina in the "love is great, enjoy life!" concept, and it is better than several of her other singles, but it's still not classic, GOOD Martina.
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iCF
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Post by iCF on Nov 7, 2008 22:19:25 GMT -5
I heard this on XM Radio today and I changed my opinion: I'm liking it, but still not crazy about it.
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wilddustin
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Post by wilddustin on Nov 8, 2008 18:23:51 GMT -5
Yawn. I keep hoping she'll do something different for a change but I guess Martina will just keep doing the expected material she's always done. Not bad - just same ol stuff.
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Post by bootyliciousdsm on Nov 15, 2008 8:32:47 GMT -5
I keep hearing complaints about Martina singing the same old stuff, and I personally feel this is a step in the right direction for her. She hasn't released a good, uptempo song in a long time, she keeps releasing the same old ballads where she can whoop it up and use her famous hand gestures like crazy.
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leilamaurizia
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Post by leilamaurizia on Nov 21, 2008 11:51:13 GMT -5
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edwin1961
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Post by edwin1961 on Nov 28, 2008 23:21:31 GMT -5
This is ok but nothing great....kinda reminds me of This One's For the Girls....my least fave Martina single. This one has to grow on my a lot flirst of all. I think the 'sound' of this song is a bit of a departure for her. I believe she is trying to ba a bit more contemporary with this single. I believe Anyway was her first T10 in quite a while...I'mnot sure where this one will end up on the chart when it's all said and done.
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Ten Pound Hammer
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Post by Ten Pound Hammer on Nov 30, 2008 11:31:54 GMT -5
Bleah.
The good: Martina doesn't screech at any point in the song and is actually singing (even if her voice sounds thinner and tinny on it). The melody is quite solid.
The bad: Just about everything else. The lyrics are just a jumbled mess of cliché and mixed metaphor, and speaking of jumbled messes, what's up with this production? Furthermore, this is just another "life will be good if you just try" song exactly like the same tripe she's been churning out for the past decade (at least "Anyway" was quite tolerable in this regard). ENOUGH ALREADY, MARTINA.
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Lee
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Post by Lee on Nov 30, 2008 17:30:06 GMT -5
I really wish we had the Pre-"Greatest Hits" Martina back on the radio.
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wilddustin
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Post by wilddustin on Dec 15, 2008 21:07:42 GMT -5
I initially thought of this song as a big thumbs down. I'm reposting because now that I have the single I will say that the song has grown on me more. It's still certainly not my favorite Martina song but it's not near as bad as I originally thought it to be.
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freeman
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Post by freeman on Dec 23, 2008 19:46:12 GMT -5
This is on itunes now! I love the single cover. It has the words "Martina McbRIDE" on it Lol. She has the word Ride in her name.
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drock89
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Post by drock89 on Jan 10, 2009 20:34:02 GMT -5
I'm not sure why they led with this single -- maybe they wanted a slow climber? I mean, the song showcases her voice (which radio loves) and was performed on the CMA (great listener base to bounce off of).
To me, this is a poor lead single. The lead should showcase the album, be a standout track, be the face of the album, and most importantly -- make you buy the album! I don't think this song does any of that. The lyrics/melody is nothing new for radio or Martina's catalog, and I think the general listener (plus Martina fans) have shrugged this one off. That's not good news for selling albums.
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Ten Pound Hammer
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Post by Ten Pound Hammer on Jan 11, 2009 11:26:18 GMT -5
To me, this is a poor lead single. The lead should showcase the album, be a standout track, be the face of the album, and most importantly -- make you buy the album! I agree. This song gives me the impression that the whole dang album is going to be poorly written formulaic fluff like this.
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austin
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Post by austin on Jan 11, 2009 14:02:58 GMT -5
To me, this is a poor lead single. The lead should showcase the album, be a standout track, be the face of the album, and most importantly -- make you buy the album! I agree. This song gives me the impression that the whole dang album is going to be poorly written formulaic fluff like this. That's not surprising. Her last album seemed like one extremely long, poorly-written (though beautifully sung), inspirational song.
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Post by kevin59 on Jan 11, 2009 17:43:08 GMT -5
New Video for song - "Ride" (Coming Soon!)
Hey everybody, Just wanted to take a minute to catch up. For starters, I shot a video for Ride. We are in the editing process right now and it should be out in the next 2 weeks or so.
Source: Martina McBride Myspace Blog (JAN 09, 2009)
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WotUNeed
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Post by WotUNeed on Jan 12, 2009 0:58:09 GMT -5
Forgive the off topic tidbit, but as I know a lot of country forumites don't visit album threads, where I'd normally post something like this, I thought this would better hit its target audience here:
I went to the Bryan Adams acoustic show earlier tonight. One of the songs he did during the show was his hit duet with Tina Turner, "It's Only Love." While Tina wasn't there to do her part, MarTina filled in quite nicely. I'm sure clips will hit Youtube soon.
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Marv
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Post by Marv on Jan 12, 2009 23:26:40 GMT -5
She certainly isn't streaking up the charts the way you'd typically expect a Martina McBride song to do.
It was just seven years ago this month that 'Blessed' was enroute to a two-week stay @ #1 @ R&R, although it did take 19 weeks to get there, a full six weeks more than the song she replaced @ #1, 'The Cowboy In Me'.
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Post by kevin59 on Jan 22, 2009 15:11:51 GMT -5
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leilamaurizia
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Post by leilamaurizia on Jan 27, 2009 9:27:38 GMT -5
Just a few years ago, I regularly listened to my Martina playlist and marveled at her pure, strong vocals and the way her songs evoked such emotion. Since Waking Up Laughing, I've just been so bored by her. From being thoroughly irritated by "Anyway" to wondering how a song can be made up of such few words -- That's, How, I Feel, When, I'm, With, You-- to being bored by "For These Times"... I'm just so over Martina right now. "Ride" is not giving me any hope that I'll get excited by her music again.
An artist's peak can't last forever. It's inevitable that you leave the top and the spotlight will shine on someone else. However, IMO, there's a bright side to that. There's less pressure on you to move albums, you'll have more freedom and hopefully more pull to make an album that doesn't necessarily cater to what radio currently deems the right formula. You can ideally prioritize your art versus commerce. I think of Trisha Yearwood, Patty Loveless and Lee Ann Womack who all put out (their most recent) excellent albums, which I would think they were aware were not going to perform as well as the current superstars' in terms of album-sales and singles-performance. Their accomplishment is in the excellence of the albums. For me, kudos to them! Why do I bring this up? 'Coz I wonder if Martina will ever get to that point. For me, it seems like she's still running after those radio #1s and commercial success, trying to figure out the right formula with seeming desperation. I can't help but respect that never-give-up attitude. However, I also can't help but hope that she gets to the so-called "artistic" phase sometime soon. If "Ride" is any indication, Shine will not be that moment.
The worst scenario here is... what if Waking Up Laughing, of which she was the sole producer, was the best she had to give? Maybe I am expecting too much from her.
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Zazie
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Post by Zazie on Jan 27, 2009 10:01:28 GMT -5
What if Martina just has dreary taste in music, and what she's doing now is what she's waited her whole life to have the freedom to do?
The only evidence to the contrary is her Timeless album, which at least showed what kind of music formed her; so I cling to that and continue to hope she'll find her way to her version of Patty's Dreamin My Dreams and On Your Way Home. (Anything like Mountain Soul is too much to ask for.) The Timeless album, though it did contain some wonderful music and she didn't scream her way through the songs, had this problem: she didn't add all that much to the songs. She was faithful to the originals.
So I go back to thinking -- maybe she doesn't have what it takes. Self-help songs and oversinging will be what she's remembered for. But then I think back to the Martina who sang Happy Girl -- where did that level of expressiveness go?
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leilamaurizia
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Post by leilamaurizia on Jan 27, 2009 10:19:17 GMT -5
What if Martina just has dreary taste in music, and what she's doing now is what she's waited her whole life to have the freedom to do? That thought did enter my mind, but it's such a dreary thought that I can't help but hope there's something more to her. But like I said, maybe I'm expecting too much. Maybe this really is all there is to her. She and her die-hard fans certainly seem happy enough. Meanwhile, I guess I can console myself with little, itty-bitty gems that I can enjoy as album cuts. After all, I did like "I'll Still Be Me," "Loveland," and "House of a Thousand Dreams" from WUL.
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Ten Pound Hammer
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Post by Ten Pound Hammer on Jan 27, 2009 11:29:25 GMT -5
So I go back to thinking -- maybe she doesn't have what it takes. Self-help songs and oversinging will be what she's remembered for. But then I think back to the Martina who sang Happy Girl -- where did that level of expressiveness go? The producers and RCA might be tellling her what to do. I guess they figure that since some of her biggest hits were screamers and/or issue songs, they don't want her to do anything else, and they're blind to the fact that it's just not working for her anymore. I know that Lonestar has said that they didn't actually want to do mostly power ballads and sippy-cup, front poch fluff, but the producers and BNA insisted that they do exactly that. And then they had two albums composed of nothing but that ( Coming Home and Mountains) that both tanked. I know that in her Greatest Hits album, she said that she never set out to do 487 issue songs in a row, but she kept finding ones that she liked. Hmm... She's at least reined in most of the belting, so now she just needs to lose the issue songs and the syrupy production. I think some of the production issues might be her fault — even pairing her with Paul Worley made Martina a rather candy-coated affair productionwise, and Worley never candy-coats.
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Zazie
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Post by Zazie on Jan 27, 2009 20:45:36 GMT -5
Interesting comments, Hammer. Especially about Lonestar -- I remember when Lonestar sang good songs, before they got Amazed. And I can see why they would have had to go along with their label. (Although Richie's level of badness is so over-the-top that I can't think it was all on orders.)
But why does Martina need RCA at this point? I'm sure she could come to some amicable agreement, opt out of the contract, and make whatever music she wanted to. Does she need more money? Is her 401(k) so far in the tank due to the recession that she has to follow the leaders? She wouldn't be able to earn a living with a low-key tour and an independent album now and then?
She has reined in some of the belting, but she hasn't interpreted a song well since I Love You hit so big. (Except God-fearin' Women. I'll give her full credit on that one.) At least, not a radio release. I haven't bought an album of hers since then; I'm afraid to.
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Post by 43dudleyvillas on Jan 27, 2009 22:46:55 GMT -5
Martina has co-producing credits on all of her albums, no? With her stature in the business, I think she has significant artistic input.
Martina signaled in an interview, I think it was with the Houston Chronicle, that for her upcoming album, she was looking for radio-friendly songs with substance (the interview was posted in our Country News thread). At the time, I (along with several others including sbp17) thought it was particularly notable that she said right up front that she was seeking radio-friendly songs. She has noted that her attraction to this song is its high energy. I also have this vague recollection of a comment Martina made in an interview (maybe with The Tennessean? It was a couple of summers ago, and I thought the article was meant to boost her candidacy for a CMA Entertainer of the Year nomination) about how people may not expect this, but her shows have a fair amount of "rockin'."
With all that in mind, I think Martina is trying extra hard to sound current, which she sees as the incorporation of the arena rock influence into her production choices. I think she is happy to try it because she enjoys 80s pop-rock (she did do Crossroads with Pat Benatar) and maybe wants to defy "Martina stands in one place and sings ballads and that's her concert too" expectations (hence the apparent guitar-heaviness of the upcoming album).
I don't know if her end goal is EotY. But I do think the medium-term goal is fighting off country radio's resistance to playing female artists over the age of 35. Martina's strategy for the moment seems to be releasing music that she believes will connect with the younger female demo (or that fits what country radio thinks will appeal to the younger female demo). Thematically, the music will apparently be identifiably Martina through its inspirational bent. But the sound is intended to rock, to prove that Martina can do that, too (so I don't think this is an irreversible move, just something that Martina wants to show that she can do).
I don't know if the move will be commercially successful, because I wonder if Martina is catching the tail end of a fading sonic trend on country radio. Also, "Ride"'s callout isn't that great at the moment and it hasn't exactly been flying up the charts (though it seems to be having a very good week so far). Still, "Ride" looks like a good bet for the top-10 and I'm interested to see what the reception to her album is.
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Ten Pound Hammer
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Post by Ten Pound Hammer on Jan 27, 2009 22:48:59 GMT -5
She has reined in some of the belting, but she hasn't interpreted a song well since I Love You hit so big. (Except God-fearin' Women. I'll give her full credit on that one.) At least, not a radio release. I haven't bought an album of hers since then; I'm afraid to. I was all set to disagree with you on "I Love You", but that song was so simple, cliché and sing-songy that a five-year-old could do it (except the bigger adverbs in the chorus), and most of the way through she sounded like a five-year-old. If Martina doesn't really need RCA anymore, then maybe she's held by her contract like Tim is with Curb. At least Tim isn't consistently releasing essentially the same song over and over again. He has a much narrower vocal range, but he seems to work within it very well, even if he too occasionally lapses into issue songs (his current single for one). As for McBride's interpretations, yeah, I agree. I've been saying for years that she needs to take a break and just re-think everything. I would love for her to take two or three years off once her contract expires, and just re-analyze everything. It might do her some good.
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lyrichord
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Post by lyrichord on Jan 27, 2009 23:13:26 GMT -5
I don't think Martina understands what listeners want, it's not a certain sound, it's the ability to relate to the songs. Sunshiny songs about looking on the bright side of life are not the recipe for that. I gave "Ride" a chance on my personal playlist for a while but eventually it irritated me so much that it was removed from my iTunes library entirely. She easily has the best voice in mainstream music coupled with the worst songs. Hence, the only Martina album I own is her Christmas CD.
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robrt30
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Post by robrt30 on Jan 28, 2009 12:07:35 GMT -5
Just a few years ago, I regularly listened to my Martina playlist and marveled at her pure, strong vocals and the way her songs evoked such emotion. Since Waking Up Laughing, I've just been so bored by her. From being thoroughly irritated by "Anyway" to wondering how a song can be made up of such few words -- That's, How, I Feel, When, I'm, With, You-- to being bored by "For These Times"... I'm just so over Martina right now. "Ride" is not giving me any hope that I'll get excited by her music again. I agree that it feels like there's "something missing" with these songs. I liked "Anyway" enough to chart it at #1 on my personal chart and I like "Ride" enough to currently have it at #9 on my personal chart. But, to me, these songs feel like Faith Hill's "There You'll Be." All are good but there's just something missing in all three of them that prevents them from being great songs. I think they're just good (and maybe radio formulatic is the right description). But it feels like they all could be better, and there's just a little something missing to prevent them from being great songs.
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astrosfan
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Post by astrosfan on Jan 29, 2009 0:14:28 GMT -5
BLEAH...PLEASE stop preaching to me...song after song...a beautiful voice wasted.
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