Reba McEntire - "Love Somebody"
Apr 25, 2015 20:42:04 GMT -5
Post by bboat11 on Apr 25, 2015 20:42:04 GMT -5
I feel like I have now had this album long enough for my opinions of it to have reached some consistency. There is no doubt in my mind that this is a 5-star album! Easily one of the best of her career. A lot of her '90s stuff is hard to beat, but this comes close to some of it. This is definitely her best effort of the 2000s, which is saying quite a bit! Especially considering how much I loved both of her last 2 albums. Overall, the production is amazing, and I have no idea how she still sounds so freaking fantastic at 60 (well, probably 59 when she recorded most of these). It just goes to show how good she is; the fact that her voice has held up so well, especially considering some of the powerful vocal shredders she has sung through the years, proves that she must have absolutely flawless technique. There are also so many instances of pure lyrical perfection on this album. I could just start listing every song in the "Best Lyrics" thread. My only real gripe with the album is that it is a little too ballad-heavy. I LOVE ballads more than most people, believe me, but still I am able to recognize that this is an album that might bore people who dislike ballads. That being said, the uptempos on here are some of the strongest of her career.
Anyway, onto the track-by-track:
1) Going Out Like That -- This was the perfect lead single for the album. As has been said before by numerous others, I love her 3rd-person stance in the song, as well as the fact that it can speak for both the character in the song as well as Reba's career. Four or so months after its release, I'm still not tired of it. I love how sassy Reba's vocal is. Even her "mmm-hmmm" in the intro to the song totally requires some kind of diva hand movement every time I imagine her singing it. My only gripe is the auto-tune, but over time I am starting to feel that at the end of each chorus it is the perfect touch to the song. I'm still not sure about the whole 3rd chorus being that way, but that is a very small problem considering how good this song is otherwise. The lyrics are also a highlight for me. They are very contemporary, but also very descriptive, and yet also simple. And I also think it is a very relatable song. I have friends who can't stand Reba who started jamming out to this song instantly because it spoke to their experiences.
2) Enough -- And just when I thought Reba's days of power ballads were probably over because of her age... To be fair, Jennifer's high harmony part is the truly amazing one, but Reba's role on main melody is certainly not for slouchers! They both sing the fire out of this song. And it has undoubtedly some of the best lyrics I have ever heard. I am enchanted by the way Reba's and Jennifer's individual lines show completely opposite problems, and then their unison lines show that they are both in the same boat as a result. Absolutely brilliant songwriting. And Jennifer is great, but I want to hear Reba sing this with literally everybody... I keep thinking, "I really wish Reba would have asked Martina to join her... Carrie would put so much soul into this... Oh my gosh, Sara Evans would absolutely kill this!" In other words, it's not like the song stands out as Reba and Jennifer's. Their voices compliment each other really well (I've always joked that Jennifer Nettles is the only female whose voice is twangier than Reba's). But a lot of the strength of the song comes from the song itself. It probably would have sounded just as good with any of the aforementioned ladies singing either of the parts. Because it is such a good song, I really can see it being a single for Reba. That being said, I don't see it getting more airplay that GOLT simply because she is paired with a non-Nash-Icon artist. MAYBE that would have been a benefit of choosing Carrie as a duet partner, but Jennifer can't even get as much radio play with her solo career as Reba has gotten when like 90% of the stations are refusing to play her because of her label affiliations...
3) She Got Drunk Last Night -- I agree with those who have said that this song suffers from unfortunate placement. "Going Out Like That" and "Enough" are a fantastic one-two punch, and then comes this song. This is by far my least favorite on the album (yes, even counting "Pray For Peace"...). The lyrics are strong enough I guess, but I think something about the lyric "She needed an excuse to let herself get used" doesn't sit right with me. But I will have to listen closer before I decide how I feel about this once and for all, because honestly this is also an extremely forgettable song that needs to sink in a little bit more. My biggest thought every time I listen to it has been that it almost seems like this song is in too low of a key. Like a lot of Reba's higher notes in the last chorus feel so laughably un-epic that they almost sound flat with the stripped back production. I certainly wouldn't turn this song into a power-ballad, but it does feel like it is lacking energy or something.
4) Livin' Ain't Killed Me Yet -- How often is it that you hear an uptempo country song with a 4/4 swing beat?? George Strait's "The Big One"... I can't of any other examples! That was the first thing I noticed immediately when this song started. And then there's the fact that Reba hits like 20 D5's over the course of the song ("But this livin' ain't killed me yet"), which is absolutely amazing considering her age. So, with a groovy beat and outstanding vocal performance that also lyrically sums up Reba's career perfectly, this one definitely redeems the lackluster third track. I would definitely root for this if it were a single, and normally I would feel that a song like this was a guaranteed hit; but this is such a strong album I am not sure this actually will be.
5) That's When I Knew -- Wow. I have to echo everyone else who has said that this is by far the best ballad on the album. I wasn't sure at first, because the middle of this album kind've sounded like an unmemorable string of ballads on first listen. But once I saw how much love this one was getting in other reviews I focused individual attention on this and I instantly felt its power. This song is absolutely perfect. Reba's perspective is once again stellar, as someone talking directly to their past heartache in the verses and then transitioning to moving on with a new love in the present tense in the choruses. And those choruses are so beautifully simple. "But then tonight I met someone. We went out, and we had fun." "But then tonight, there with him, it felt so good to feel good again." Sentences can't get much more simple than that! Yet somehow it is absolutely perfect for capturing the feeling of vulnerability and innocence that comes with falling in love after a heartache. I am in love. This is brilliant.
6) I'll Go On -- Another one that got lost in the shuffle the first couple times, I now see that this is an incredibly strong ballad as well. Unrequited love...this is a topic that basically everyone can relate to. Once again, this features such brilliantly pointed lyrics. "You were my everything, and that's what I gave you" always comes to mind first for me, possibly because it opens the song, but it also tells you exactly what it is going to be about, with no frills, fluff, or unnecessary trim. This song is very simple and short, and that makes it so heartbreaking. It is so matter-of-fact in its portrayal of an honest heart drowning in love that is never going to be returned. I don't see this being a hit, but that's mostly because every song can't be a hit.
7) Until They Don't Love You -- Of course, this song HAS to be a hit. There is no negotiating that fact. If this is not released as a single, Reba, you will be remembered as certifiably nuts. Got it? Seriously though, this song is such a perfect blend of likable elements. It has cheesy themes ("1-2-3-4", "A-B-C-D", "Left-Right-Up-Down"). It has spicy vocals (growls, voice cracks, the whole nine yards. (See, "And now I'm DOWN here on my knees" in the third verse. DIVA.) It has a simple but bold bass-driven instrumental section, complete with what sounds like a small dog barking on beats 3 and 4 of the 4th measure. The end of the chorus is rapid, but not rapped. Everything comes together to just form such an incredibly strong song, that will probably get stuck into peoples' heads well into the 22nd century. If any song on the album screams Smash other than "Enough", it is this one!!!
8) Promise Me Love -- And yet as perfect as the album has been up to this point, "Promise Me Love" is absolutely indubitably 100% my favorite song on the album. Yes, her lyrics have weird vocal processing through the entire song. Yes, there is a distracting echo. Yes, the start of the second chorus starts out slightly flat. Yes, it can be slightly hard to tell what she is saying sometimes. But to me it all comes together to make such a bold sound that really works! I literally love every aspect of this song. It is like nothing she has ever done before, and it sounds incredibly contemporary. It might honestly be my favorite song she has ever recorded. I will say that the echoes are my second favorite part of the song, because they sound so cool and I do not find them to be nearly as distracting as they were in George Strait's "Give It All We've Got Tonight" (to use a contemporary example of a fellow legend using weird echoes). And my very favorite part is how Reba harmonizes with herself leading into the chorus. Such an epic sound that adds SO MUCH to the song! That being said, I don't really see this one becoming a hit, even though I love it so much. It is an absolutely amazing song, but I feel as if a lot of people will see it as a filler track. Something about it just connects with me, but other reviews seem to think it is one of the weakest songs on the album.
9) Just Like Them Horses -- What can be said about this song that it doesn't already tell you itself? Reba here is at her most tender and vulnerable, possibly out of her entire career. I must echo the sentiment that her sigh before going into the 3rd chorus is absolutely spine-tingling. Her whirling emotions are so tangible. I just want to reach out and give her a hug. A live performance of this would be absolutely incredible.
10) Love Somebody -- This song is surprisingly good, in my opinion. It seems like a song that I would normally not like. And yet every time I hear it I love it more. I am really enjoying the contrast between the laid-back vocals of the verses and the dramatic belting of the chorus. There's no doubt about it that Reba can still belt with the best of them. This song once again is absolutely amazing considering her age. She really reaches for notes, especially in the bridge, that would make some women half her age grab for their throats. Now I am starting to get really curious how much of her range she still has... Can she still belt the E5s in "Falling Out Of Love"? The F5s in "You Lie"? Anyway, I digress. This song could be a hit. It was by far my least favorite of the 3 that were tested before the album came out, but now I think it would connect surprisingly well with people.
11) Love Land -- When I first heard this, I was so jarred by the shift from Martina's first-person version to Reba's third-person narration. I definitely think the song sounds better with a first-person narrator. Reba's version sometimes has to really cram in the "she said"s where there is just no room to cram them. Then there is the fact that Martina is my favorite singer, and it becomes pretty understandable that I think her version is hard to beat. However, Reba does a really nice job. Reba adds her classic storytelling abilities to the song in ways that Martina simply does not, owning this version and making it her own. I also love the fact that Reba kept the same key changes. I still like Martina's version a little better, because it seems to flow more naturally. But Reba's version is certainly a very welcome addition to my music library. And can I just say that I LOVE the bass piano note in the chord at the beginning... I think you know the one I'm talking about. ;)
12) Pray For Peace -- I am torn between being happy this is on the album and wishing it had been replaced by something else instead. I don't feel the intense distaste for this song that a lot of people do. I do wish it was a little bit more complex. But at the same time, it is supposed to be very simple. Reba wanted it that way. I especially love once the real words start. Such a powerful bridge! And Kelly's background vocals are so cool, along with the choral backing group. Ronnie Dunn's part seems too sparse though; I would have expected much more from him. Overall, I consider this to be a good song. It better not be released as a single or anything; that would be the absolute worst thing that could happen to this era. But at the same time I do not fault Reba for wanting to add it to the regular album, because it obviously means a lot to her.
13) Whatever Way It Hurts The Least -- I am not super familiar with the bonus tracks yet, because honestly they both pale in comparison to the best moments on the main album so I have been skipping them a lot... However, this one is the best of the two in my opinion. I could definitely see myself enjoying this song more if I listen to it as an individual track going into the future rather than as a part of this album. This album is just so strong that it reaches a point where songs that are slightly above average are not good enough to stand up to the rest of the tracks. That is the unfortunate fate of these bonus tracks, in my opinion. This one, however, seems to have really clever lyrics, and once again we see the loss of love from a new perspective; that of preemptive ending so that it doesn't have to hurt more later.
14) More Than Just Her Last Name -- Finally, we finish with what is probably the most traditional song on the album. This is indeed an ageless song that could have been recorded at any point in her career. Other than that agelessness, however, it doesn't really stand out. I don't think it would have been a huge hit at any point in her career. It is more like an album track that could have appeared on any of her albums. I do enjoy the way the song makes people question the role of women in marriage. Describing a wife as "a Christmas-Party-plus-one" is pretty harsh, and the fact that the lady in the song feels that way is quite sad. I like what was said earlier about this being a song in the same vein as "Is There Life Out There". I don't feel any need for this song to have made the regular album, but it is certainly not one that will decrease the strength of the album or anything.
Overall, this is just such a strong album from Reba. I really cannot wait to see how many singles she can get off of it. I am going to predict as if she gets 5.
1) Going Out Like That
2) Enough
3) Until They Don't Love You
4) That's When I Knew
5) Love Somebody (or Livin' Ain't Killed Me Yet)
6) Promise Me Love
Okay, I really couldn't help but add a 6th just in the hopes that "Promise Me Love" might have a chance... Sue me :) Anyway I hope they go as deep as possible with this album, and that all the Nash stations continue spinning the crud out of her songs so that she can keep getting as close to the top 30 as possible!! I also cannot wait to see what Nash Icons has in store for Ronnie and Martina... If this album is any indication of the type of music we are going to get from Nash Icon, I am probably going to end up buying every album that comes out from this label...
Anyway, onto the track-by-track:
1) Going Out Like That -- This was the perfect lead single for the album. As has been said before by numerous others, I love her 3rd-person stance in the song, as well as the fact that it can speak for both the character in the song as well as Reba's career. Four or so months after its release, I'm still not tired of it. I love how sassy Reba's vocal is. Even her "mmm-hmmm" in the intro to the song totally requires some kind of diva hand movement every time I imagine her singing it. My only gripe is the auto-tune, but over time I am starting to feel that at the end of each chorus it is the perfect touch to the song. I'm still not sure about the whole 3rd chorus being that way, but that is a very small problem considering how good this song is otherwise. The lyrics are also a highlight for me. They are very contemporary, but also very descriptive, and yet also simple. And I also think it is a very relatable song. I have friends who can't stand Reba who started jamming out to this song instantly because it spoke to their experiences.
2) Enough -- And just when I thought Reba's days of power ballads were probably over because of her age... To be fair, Jennifer's high harmony part is the truly amazing one, but Reba's role on main melody is certainly not for slouchers! They both sing the fire out of this song. And it has undoubtedly some of the best lyrics I have ever heard. I am enchanted by the way Reba's and Jennifer's individual lines show completely opposite problems, and then their unison lines show that they are both in the same boat as a result. Absolutely brilliant songwriting. And Jennifer is great, but I want to hear Reba sing this with literally everybody... I keep thinking, "I really wish Reba would have asked Martina to join her... Carrie would put so much soul into this... Oh my gosh, Sara Evans would absolutely kill this!" In other words, it's not like the song stands out as Reba and Jennifer's. Their voices compliment each other really well (I've always joked that Jennifer Nettles is the only female whose voice is twangier than Reba's). But a lot of the strength of the song comes from the song itself. It probably would have sounded just as good with any of the aforementioned ladies singing either of the parts. Because it is such a good song, I really can see it being a single for Reba. That being said, I don't see it getting more airplay that GOLT simply because she is paired with a non-Nash-Icon artist. MAYBE that would have been a benefit of choosing Carrie as a duet partner, but Jennifer can't even get as much radio play with her solo career as Reba has gotten when like 90% of the stations are refusing to play her because of her label affiliations...
3) She Got Drunk Last Night -- I agree with those who have said that this song suffers from unfortunate placement. "Going Out Like That" and "Enough" are a fantastic one-two punch, and then comes this song. This is by far my least favorite on the album (yes, even counting "Pray For Peace"...). The lyrics are strong enough I guess, but I think something about the lyric "She needed an excuse to let herself get used" doesn't sit right with me. But I will have to listen closer before I decide how I feel about this once and for all, because honestly this is also an extremely forgettable song that needs to sink in a little bit more. My biggest thought every time I listen to it has been that it almost seems like this song is in too low of a key. Like a lot of Reba's higher notes in the last chorus feel so laughably un-epic that they almost sound flat with the stripped back production. I certainly wouldn't turn this song into a power-ballad, but it does feel like it is lacking energy or something.
4) Livin' Ain't Killed Me Yet -- How often is it that you hear an uptempo country song with a 4/4 swing beat?? George Strait's "The Big One"... I can't of any other examples! That was the first thing I noticed immediately when this song started. And then there's the fact that Reba hits like 20 D5's over the course of the song ("But this livin' ain't killed me yet"), which is absolutely amazing considering her age. So, with a groovy beat and outstanding vocal performance that also lyrically sums up Reba's career perfectly, this one definitely redeems the lackluster third track. I would definitely root for this if it were a single, and normally I would feel that a song like this was a guaranteed hit; but this is such a strong album I am not sure this actually will be.
5) That's When I Knew -- Wow. I have to echo everyone else who has said that this is by far the best ballad on the album. I wasn't sure at first, because the middle of this album kind've sounded like an unmemorable string of ballads on first listen. But once I saw how much love this one was getting in other reviews I focused individual attention on this and I instantly felt its power. This song is absolutely perfect. Reba's perspective is once again stellar, as someone talking directly to their past heartache in the verses and then transitioning to moving on with a new love in the present tense in the choruses. And those choruses are so beautifully simple. "But then tonight I met someone. We went out, and we had fun." "But then tonight, there with him, it felt so good to feel good again." Sentences can't get much more simple than that! Yet somehow it is absolutely perfect for capturing the feeling of vulnerability and innocence that comes with falling in love after a heartache. I am in love. This is brilliant.
6) I'll Go On -- Another one that got lost in the shuffle the first couple times, I now see that this is an incredibly strong ballad as well. Unrequited love...this is a topic that basically everyone can relate to. Once again, this features such brilliantly pointed lyrics. "You were my everything, and that's what I gave you" always comes to mind first for me, possibly because it opens the song, but it also tells you exactly what it is going to be about, with no frills, fluff, or unnecessary trim. This song is very simple and short, and that makes it so heartbreaking. It is so matter-of-fact in its portrayal of an honest heart drowning in love that is never going to be returned. I don't see this being a hit, but that's mostly because every song can't be a hit.
7) Until They Don't Love You -- Of course, this song HAS to be a hit. There is no negotiating that fact. If this is not released as a single, Reba, you will be remembered as certifiably nuts. Got it? Seriously though, this song is such a perfect blend of likable elements. It has cheesy themes ("1-2-3-4", "A-B-C-D", "Left-Right-Up-Down"). It has spicy vocals (growls, voice cracks, the whole nine yards. (See, "And now I'm DOWN here on my knees" in the third verse. DIVA.) It has a simple but bold bass-driven instrumental section, complete with what sounds like a small dog barking on beats 3 and 4 of the 4th measure. The end of the chorus is rapid, but not rapped. Everything comes together to just form such an incredibly strong song, that will probably get stuck into peoples' heads well into the 22nd century. If any song on the album screams Smash other than "Enough", it is this one!!!
8) Promise Me Love -- And yet as perfect as the album has been up to this point, "Promise Me Love" is absolutely indubitably 100% my favorite song on the album. Yes, her lyrics have weird vocal processing through the entire song. Yes, there is a distracting echo. Yes, the start of the second chorus starts out slightly flat. Yes, it can be slightly hard to tell what she is saying sometimes. But to me it all comes together to make such a bold sound that really works! I literally love every aspect of this song. It is like nothing she has ever done before, and it sounds incredibly contemporary. It might honestly be my favorite song she has ever recorded. I will say that the echoes are my second favorite part of the song, because they sound so cool and I do not find them to be nearly as distracting as they were in George Strait's "Give It All We've Got Tonight" (to use a contemporary example of a fellow legend using weird echoes). And my very favorite part is how Reba harmonizes with herself leading into the chorus. Such an epic sound that adds SO MUCH to the song! That being said, I don't really see this one becoming a hit, even though I love it so much. It is an absolutely amazing song, but I feel as if a lot of people will see it as a filler track. Something about it just connects with me, but other reviews seem to think it is one of the weakest songs on the album.
9) Just Like Them Horses -- What can be said about this song that it doesn't already tell you itself? Reba here is at her most tender and vulnerable, possibly out of her entire career. I must echo the sentiment that her sigh before going into the 3rd chorus is absolutely spine-tingling. Her whirling emotions are so tangible. I just want to reach out and give her a hug. A live performance of this would be absolutely incredible.
10) Love Somebody -- This song is surprisingly good, in my opinion. It seems like a song that I would normally not like. And yet every time I hear it I love it more. I am really enjoying the contrast between the laid-back vocals of the verses and the dramatic belting of the chorus. There's no doubt about it that Reba can still belt with the best of them. This song once again is absolutely amazing considering her age. She really reaches for notes, especially in the bridge, that would make some women half her age grab for their throats. Now I am starting to get really curious how much of her range she still has... Can she still belt the E5s in "Falling Out Of Love"? The F5s in "You Lie"? Anyway, I digress. This song could be a hit. It was by far my least favorite of the 3 that were tested before the album came out, but now I think it would connect surprisingly well with people.
11) Love Land -- When I first heard this, I was so jarred by the shift from Martina's first-person version to Reba's third-person narration. I definitely think the song sounds better with a first-person narrator. Reba's version sometimes has to really cram in the "she said"s where there is just no room to cram them. Then there is the fact that Martina is my favorite singer, and it becomes pretty understandable that I think her version is hard to beat. However, Reba does a really nice job. Reba adds her classic storytelling abilities to the song in ways that Martina simply does not, owning this version and making it her own. I also love the fact that Reba kept the same key changes. I still like Martina's version a little better, because it seems to flow more naturally. But Reba's version is certainly a very welcome addition to my music library. And can I just say that I LOVE the bass piano note in the chord at the beginning... I think you know the one I'm talking about. ;)
12) Pray For Peace -- I am torn between being happy this is on the album and wishing it had been replaced by something else instead. I don't feel the intense distaste for this song that a lot of people do. I do wish it was a little bit more complex. But at the same time, it is supposed to be very simple. Reba wanted it that way. I especially love once the real words start. Such a powerful bridge! And Kelly's background vocals are so cool, along with the choral backing group. Ronnie Dunn's part seems too sparse though; I would have expected much more from him. Overall, I consider this to be a good song. It better not be released as a single or anything; that would be the absolute worst thing that could happen to this era. But at the same time I do not fault Reba for wanting to add it to the regular album, because it obviously means a lot to her.
13) Whatever Way It Hurts The Least -- I am not super familiar with the bonus tracks yet, because honestly they both pale in comparison to the best moments on the main album so I have been skipping them a lot... However, this one is the best of the two in my opinion. I could definitely see myself enjoying this song more if I listen to it as an individual track going into the future rather than as a part of this album. This album is just so strong that it reaches a point where songs that are slightly above average are not good enough to stand up to the rest of the tracks. That is the unfortunate fate of these bonus tracks, in my opinion. This one, however, seems to have really clever lyrics, and once again we see the loss of love from a new perspective; that of preemptive ending so that it doesn't have to hurt more later.
14) More Than Just Her Last Name -- Finally, we finish with what is probably the most traditional song on the album. This is indeed an ageless song that could have been recorded at any point in her career. Other than that agelessness, however, it doesn't really stand out. I don't think it would have been a huge hit at any point in her career. It is more like an album track that could have appeared on any of her albums. I do enjoy the way the song makes people question the role of women in marriage. Describing a wife as "a Christmas-Party-plus-one" is pretty harsh, and the fact that the lady in the song feels that way is quite sad. I like what was said earlier about this being a song in the same vein as "Is There Life Out There". I don't feel any need for this song to have made the regular album, but it is certainly not one that will decrease the strength of the album or anything.
Overall, this is just such a strong album from Reba. I really cannot wait to see how many singles she can get off of it. I am going to predict as if she gets 5.
1) Going Out Like That
2) Enough
3) Until They Don't Love You
4) That's When I Knew
5) Love Somebody (or Livin' Ain't Killed Me Yet)
6) Promise Me Love
Okay, I really couldn't help but add a 6th just in the hopes that "Promise Me Love" might have a chance... Sue me :) Anyway I hope they go as deep as possible with this album, and that all the Nash stations continue spinning the crud out of her songs so that she can keep getting as close to the top 30 as possible!! I also cannot wait to see what Nash Icons has in store for Ronnie and Martina... If this album is any indication of the type of music we are going to get from Nash Icon, I am probably going to end up buying every album that comes out from this label...
