Martina McBride Album Series Rankdowns

[Cody Wants Out...]

Aww, I loved that one. :(

[castleoblivion26]

I forgot to mention before but I expect to be the last person with their #14 left because I know people like it a lot but I hate it so hopefully it goes before the Top 5!

[codyj100]

castleoblivion26's post reminded me that I forgot to do the predictions.   I'm probably going to jinx myself by saying this...but I don't think I have done so well in a rankdown. Yes, we are only at #12 but even early on, I don't recall doing this well. 

[BackwoodsBarbie]

I Won't Close My Eyes is so beautiful. I'm sad it's gone already. My two favourite discoveries of this rankdown were eliminated almost back to back and they both end up in bottom 5 :(
Again like with One Day You Will I like how laid back the melody is and how she sings with her calming voice without going much louder at the end of verses. Instrumentation is also perfect especially in the begining and after the chorus.
Amazing song overall.

[bboat11]

There’s a place you’ll always be.

 No matter where you are, you’re here with me.

When the world is turnin’ upside down, 

Together we can stand our ground.

10. "Still Holding On" (w/ Clint Black)

Track #7

Runtime: 3:57

Songwriters: Marty Stuart, Matraca Berg, Clint Black

Vocal Range: Clint: D3 - G4; Martina: B3 - E5



Total: 148
Average: 8.71
Std Dev: 3.58 (2nd largest!)


tim - 2
born - 3
@adam1995 - 4
castleoblivion26 - 5
BlueShades874 - 6
Cody Wants Out... - 8
d3vin44 - 8
codyj100 - 9
bboat11 - 10
fearlessarrow - 10
kansasmeetsmo - 10
.indulgecountry - 11
Kanenrá:ke - 11
BackwoodsBarbie - 12
cerulean - 12
dub - 13
someguy - 14

Leo ✔


Edging into the top 10 by a mere 2 points, "Still Holding On" becomes the first single loss of the rankdown! The song was one of the smaller hits of the album, for some reason stalling at #11 on the country charts. I have no idea why that happened, because this sounds like a hit to me. Clint and Martina's voices blend beautifully, and this song allows both of them to show off their higher ranges quite a bit (but especially Martina!)

I know I only ranked it at #10, but I honestly love everything about this song. I could listen to it on repeat for hours and still get enjoyment out of all the subtle vocal nuances in Martina's performance here. My favorite part is the bridge, where Martina actually has 2 vocal tracks, one midrange and one really high, while Clint sings a little bit lower part. That's why it sounds like there is 3-part harmony despite only being 2 vocalists. Of course in the live version below she tackles the high part and absolutely kills it

tim suffers the first #2 loss of the rankdown, while someguy loses his #14.








Since this is the first single loss of the rankdown, it also comes with the first live performance of the rankdown! This was Clint and Martina at the 1997 CMA Awards. Seriously though, if you listen to nothing else, check out Martina's vocals from about 3:00 'til the end...

[BackwoodsBarbie]

This song has grown on me a little since General Martina McBride rankdown but it is still one of the songs on the album that I like the least.
It's also very interesting to see which songs people put on #14 because that means that they prefer little girl singing in a bad recording over a real song.

[born]

I lost two Top 5s back to back :( I actually really liked that one and I realized I like Martina's duets with men lol

I only have 2 top 5s left (and my #6) and I'd really love to see them in the top 3 since I saw some positive comments or predictions on them.

PS: I love the entire album RD process but I feel like this is way too country for me. Has anyone done a Carrie Album Series Rankdown? Or a Montevallo one? Or whatever

[bboat11]

Oct 26, 2017 1:31:27 GMT -5 born said:

I lost two Top 5s back to back I actually really liked that one and I realized I like Martina's duets with men lol

I only have 2 top 5s left (and my #6) and I'd really love to see them in the top 3 since I saw some positive comments or predictions on them.

PS: I love the entire album RD process but I feel like this is way too country for me. Has anyone done a Carrie Album Series Rankdown? Or a Montevallo one? Or whatever

Zaclord is on the queue to do a Carrie Underwood series sometime! Plus fearlessarrow's Saylor Twift series that he just started. And indulge will be doing Sara Evans eventually. That's it for now though.

Edit: Oh yeah, Zaclord should be hosting Maren Morris eventually too.

Editx2: Also, you have 3 top 5s left

[born]

They all sound nice! I'll give them a shot. (Pretty excited about the Carrie one)

Ps: I KNOW, Idk why I wrote that. I was probably thinking about my top 2 which is (thankfully) intact.

[BlueShades874]

Boo for I Won't Close My Eyes being out...I love that one so much. As for Still Holding Of, if anything I'm surprised it lasted this long given the less than favorable comments I've read on here about the song. I love the performance video as well, I had never seen that one before. Clint and Martina sounded really good together and Martina's high notes towards the end of the song...just fantastic!

[codyj100]

I don't mind this one, but I'm okay with it being out. I listened to it a few times before submitting, and it never struck me. Still doesn't. It's a bummer because they are both fantastic vocalists. 

[tim]

I've always been a fan of "Still Holding On" and wasn't surprised to see myself as its top ranker lol. I was disappointed to see it stall outside of the top 10 on the charts, but that CMA performance was great.

[bboat11]

Anybody around? It's time to get rid of our first #1

Seriously though, will you guys ever try anything new?

[BackwoodsBarbie]

Keeping My Distance?

[someguy]

Oct 26, 2017 17:26:05 GMT -5 BackwoodsBarbie said:

Keeping My Distance?

It has to be that one :(

But then I love everything that's left, so I'll be disappointed no matter what it is haha

[bboat11]

If you don’t wanna rush it, baby, 

Well, then by all means don’t,

 But I’m gonna wait for the day

 When you see that it’s me you want. 

9. "Keeping My Distance"

Track #6

Runtime: 3:52

Songwriters: Jimmy Davis, Don Smith, Tommy Burroughs

Vocal Range: C4 - D5



Total: 142
Average: 8.35
Std Dev: 2.83


.indulgecountry - 1
bboat11 - 5
tim - 5
BlueShades874 - 7
Kanenrá:ke - 7
kansasmeetsmo - 8
dub - 8
codyj100 - 8
someguy - 9
@adam1995 - 9
Cody Wants Out... - 10
cerulean - 10
born - 10
d3vin44 - 10
castleoblivion26 - 11
BackwoodsBarbie - 11
fearlessarrow - 13

Leo ✔


You guys. No. Just no. I feel every bit of the anguish that .indulgecountry is feeling right now. This song is a jam and a half! Martina is famous for her ballads, but I think that this is one of the very best uptempos of her entire career. I love how light and breezy her vocal performance feels here, and the instrumentation perfectly complements the melody and overall feel of the song. It is a shame this song had to be on such a strong album, because it definitely does not deserve to be lost in the shuffle!

I wanted this to be a top 5 contender, but unfortunately it was trending just outside of it for the entire time. It looked good for a #8 finish, but unfortunately the last few submissions pushed this song back to its lowest point of the entire submission process. Heathens! That's all I have to say!

[BackwoodsBarbie]

Oct 26, 2017 17:36:04 GMT -5 someguy said:

Oct 26, 2017 17:26:05 GMT -5 BackwoodsBarbie said:

Keeping My Distance?

It has to be that one

But then I love everything that's left, so I'll be disappointed no matter what it is haha

I mostly agree with you :) This album is really filled with great songs.

[bboat11]

Also .indulgecountry, I feel bad for you, but I was the first to lose my #1 in the Jo Dee rankdown, so I guess we're even?

[.indulgecountry]

[born]

That was nice but just nice! Btw, it's #9!

[castleoblivion26]

"Keeping My Distance" is a great song, and I love listening to it. I just like the other songs on the album more. There is really only one bad song on this album, the other 12 tracks are among my favorites from her entire career. If we did a rankdown that comprised of every song she has ever recorded all 12 would be in my Top 30 most likely. That being said I'm okay with this going here. Wish "Happy Girl" left already though, that one has overstayed imo

[bboat11]

Hint for the next elimination!! It may or may not be a HUGE surprise to some!

[.indulgecountry]

Lol omg I wish, but I know that has to be a throw-off hint because there's no way that's coming any time soon.

[BackwoodsBarbie]

^ I agree with you. It's way too early and the hint is way too obvious.

[bboat11]

If there were no words,
No way to speak,
I would still hear you.

8. "Valentine" ft. Jim Brickman

Track #14
Runtime: 3:23
Songwriters:  Jim Brickman, Jack Kugell
Vocal Range: E♭3 - B♭4

Total: 136
Average: 8.00
Std Dev: 3.50

cerulean - 2
BlueShades874 - 3
codyj100 - 4
Cody Wants Out... - 5
d3vin44 - 5
BackwoodsBarbie - 6
someguy - 7
@adam1995 - 8
fearlessarrow - 8
dub - 9
.indulgecountry - 9
born - 9
bboat11 - 11
castleoblivion26 - 12
tim - 12
kansasmeetsmo - 12
Kanenrá:ke - 14

Leo ✔

Coming in at #8, we have our second single loss of the rankdown! "Valentine" was originally recorded and released for Jim Brickman's 1997 album Picture This, and peaked at #3 on the AC charts, but then Martina re-recorded it for this album, and the countrier version went on to peak at #9 on the country charts. This song seems like one of her more forgotten hits; until recently it was rare to hear Martina perform it live. It has been making frequent appearances in recent tours, however.

This one honestly performed better than I was expecting, despite how much I like it. I thought that it might be in the running to be the lowest-performing single, just because I know that there are some who really dislike it for its "cheesiness". Instead, it places very comfortably within the top 10. It is only 3 points lower than the #7 song as well! cerulean joins the #2 losses club, and Kanenrá:ke finally loses his #14. That means castleoblivion26 is the last one to have a #14 left in the game!

How does this song relate to the "Broken Wing" hint? Because at the end of the studio version of this song, there is a brief snippet of Martina's daughter singing "A Broken Wing"

This was a performance for President Bill Clinton! OMG look at Hillary nodding along at the end. How nervous do you think Martina was??!

[castleoblivion26]

Oct 26, 2017 18:41:33 GMT -5 bboat11 said:

That means castleoblivion26 is the last one to have a #14 left in the game!

said earlier I would be the last to have my #14 leave and I was right sadly. Why do people like that song?! lmao, I don't know why I could never get into it.

Anyways, "Valentine" is a great song but I am also okay with it going here. Wish it had gone before "Still Holding On" and after "Happy Girl" for her singles though

[someguy]

I guess how big a hit something seems like can all be relative to where you live. The local country station at the time played this a LOT when it was first released to AC radio, and spent multiple weeks at #1 on their weekly countdown. It has always felt like one of her bigger hits to me.

[bboat11]

Oct 26, 2017 18:59:50 GMT -5 someguy said:

I guess how big a hit something seems like can all be relative to where you live. The local country station at the time played this a LOT when it was first released to AC radio, and spent multiple weeks at #1 on their weekly countdown. It has always felt like one of her bigger hits to me.

That is a very good point. I think to me it just feels like one of her more forgotten hits because Martina herself doesn't usually emphasize it much in her shows. Whereas a song like "When God-Fearin' Women Get The Blues" had a similar peak, but she performs it all the time, so between the two that one feels like a bigger hit to me. "Valentine" definitely had good airplay though, so it's not forgotten in the same way that a song like "For These Times" is.

Of course, I'm not old enough to remember either of those being on the radio as current hits, so all I have to base hit size on is my knowledge of chart peaks and what she performs in her shows, as well as whatever opinions people share on Pulse. So you have an advantage over me there!

[bboat11]

All our sins have washed away. 

Now all that’s left are all the things we didn’t say.

 

7. "Some Say I'm Running"

Track #11

Runtime: 4:06

Songwriters: Michael W. Smith, Brent Bourgeois

Vocal Range: C#3 - C#5



Total: 133
Average: 7.82
Std Dev: 2.72


Kanenrá:ke - 3
cerulean - 3
@adam1995 - 5
someguy - 6
tim - 6
kansasmeetsmo - 7
.indulgecountry - 7
born - 7
bboat11 - 8
fearlessarrow - 9
BackwoodsBarbie - 9
castleoblivion26 - 9
d3vin44 - 9
dub - 10
Cody Wants Out... - 11
BlueShades874 - 12
codyj100 - 12

Leo ✔


Overall, I would say this song outperformed my expectations. I figured this one and "Keeping My Distance" might have swapped places. This one definitely has more potential to be considered boring. However, I am so thrilled that this one was able to perform this well! The lyrics are solid and descriptive, and Martina's vocal is as heartbreaking and raw as ever. I absolutely love the contrasting melody between the lower start to the verses and the higher finish to the verses.

Also, I THINK this song features the lowest note Martina has sung on record. It's debatable though... To me it sounds like she hits a really low C#3 at the start of the 2nd verse ("The water's deep"...), but it is one of those situations where the harder I listen to it the less sure I am. It is incredible that someone of her voice type can even make people wonder if she is going that low! For reference, a C#3 would definitely be towards the bottom of Terri Clark's range as well...

Regardless of if I am hearing the low notes correctly, this song was pretty much always destined to place at #7. Judging by the graph, this was easily one of the most consistent songs of the rankdown. It never even came close to the top 5, but it never left the top 10 either. cerulean manages to lose a #3 right after losing #2 last time, and codyj100 finally takes a step back and loses his #12, leaving him with an almost-perfect top 6! (His #4 is out, but his #7 is the remainder, which is still very damn good.)








I actually found a live video for this song! This was a request from a fan club party in 2009 (you can tell where Martina kinda forgets the words for a moment, 'cause she never performs it). Unfortunately it is not the whole song, but you get the idea

[.indulgecountry]

To borrow from Red :

P-P-P-PERFECT RANKING!