Martina McBride Album Series Rankdowns

[bboat11]

Once a day,

 All day long.

And once a night

 From dusk ‘til dawn.

 The only time

I wish you weren’t gone 

Is once a day. Every day. All day long.

5. "Once A Day"

Track #7
Runtime: 2:24
Songwriters: Bill Anderson
Original Artist: Connie Smith
Vocal Range: B♭3 - B4



Total: 123
Average: 8.79
Std Dev: 6.00


Kanenrá:ke - 1
.indulgecountry - 3
bboat11 - 3
fearlessarrow - 4
dub - 5
cerulean - 5
SHOOTER - 7
Cody Wants Out... - 7
someguy - 9
kansasmeetsmo - 12
tim - 14
g8erboi - 16
d3vin44 - 17
castleoblivion26 - 20


Troublemaker

Kicking off our top 5, we say goodbye to "Once A Day"! This song is Kanenrá:ke 's #1, and was in everybody's top 20. With the exception of castleoblivion26 's list, this song was in the top 5 of the trajectory chart for the entire submission process! It is the second song we have lost (after "Let It Be Me") that was a #1 contender for any portion of time.

I am so thrilled to see this song make the top 5, because tbh this was one of my go-to favorites on the album from the moment I first heard it. I just love the lyrics to this one, and how they sound so triumphant, but it is all just sarcastic. Plus the musical arrangement to this song is one of the best on the entire album. This is also the 3rd-highest-placing album track, meaning it will show up again in our Album Tracks Rankdown in the future  

SPOILER: Click to show

{Songs Remaining}
’Til I Can Make It On My Own
(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden
I Still Miss Someone
I’ll Be There

[bboat11]

I could sing you a tune

Or promise you the moon,

 But if that’s what it takes to hold you,

I’d just as soon let you go.

4. "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden"

Track #4
Runtime: 3:15
Songwriters: Joe South
Original Artist: Lynn Anderson
Vocal Range: A3 - B4



Total: 122
Average: 8.71
Std Dev: 6.09


bboat11 - 2
fearlessarrow - 2
Cody Wants Out... - 3
someguy - 3
tim - 3
d3vin44 - 3
dub - 9
castleoblivion26 - 9
g8erboi - 11
.indulgecountry - 13
cerulean - 13
SHOOTER - 14
Kanenrá:ke - 18
kansasmeetsmo - 19

Troublemaker


In a turn of events that may be shocking for some, "Rose Garden" bows out just inside the top 5! This song features no #1 votes, but 6 of us put it in our top 3, which is still incredible. This one never quite managed to be a #1 contender, although it came very close at several points throughout the submission process. I think there were even a couple times it was tied with #1, but lost the ties because it didn't have any #1 votes.

Honestly, I cannot understand the hate that this one seems to get... This song is by far one of the catchiest on the album, and the musical arrangement is also one of the most interesting. Every time that string section kicks off at the beginning, I can't help but sit up a little straighter and pay attention. In a list of Martina's hits I could understand this being towards the bottom, but on this album this is by far one of the biggest standouts. I'm glad to see it make the top 4 at least, but it should have done better.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Songs Remaining}
’Til I Can Make It On My Own
I Still Miss Someone
I’ll Be There

[fearlessarrow]

Why is "I Still Miss Someone" ahead of "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden" though?

[tim]

I didn't see that coming! I thought "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden" was a lock for the top 2. This does seem to get quite a bit of shade thrown its way which puzzles me because it was such a breath of fresh air to hear it on the radio back when it was on the charts and this is actually a song I still hear quite regularly on the radio locally.

My #1 and #2 are still in though and I think they might just finish in that order.

[.indulgecountry]

Oh thank GOD. I was worried that was going to win because of familiarity. No thank you!

Aug 23, 2018 21:38:26 GMT -5 fearlessarrow said:

Why is "I Still Miss Someone" ahead of "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden" though?

Because it slays and "Rose Garden" is mediocre at best.

[kansasmeetsmo]

I actually used to love Rose Garden. I remember skipping most of the other songs on the record when listening to the album at my grandma’s (because I didn’t actually own it at the time), solely because it’s the only song I knew from the radio. I guess as a 12 year old I didn’t really appreciate album tracks much. Anyways, now I think I’m just a little annoyed that it’s a concert staple when there are a lot of other songs that I wish were played instead. I’ve heard it both times I’ve seen Martina in the last 2 years. That probably negatively affects my opinion of the song a lot, which might be a little unfair.

[bboat11]

Aug 23, 2018 21:43:12 GMT -5 tim said:

I didn't see that coming! I thought "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden" was a lock for the top 2. This does seem to get quite a bit of shade thrown its way which puzzles me because it was such a breath of fresh air to hear it on the radio back when it was on the charts and this is actually a song I still hear quite regularly on the radio locally.

My #1 and #2 are still in though and I think they might just finish in that order.

---

I go out to a party

 And look for a little fun.

 But I find a darkened corner 

‘Cause I still miss someone.

3. "I Still Miss Someone" ft. Dolly Parton

Track #12
Runtime: 2:56
Songwriters: Johnny Cash, Roy Cash, Jr.
Original Artist: Johnny Cash
Vocal Range: G#3 - A4



Total: 117
Average: 8.36
Std Dev: 6.07


someguy - 1
tim - 2
.indulgecountry - 2
SHOOTER - 4
Kanenrá:ke - 4
dub - 6
d3vin44 - 8
cerulean - 8
g8erboi - 9
fearlessarrow - 10
castleoblivion26 - 10
kansasmeetsmo - 13
Cody Wants Out... - 19
bboat11 - 21

Troublemaker

Bowing out at #3, we say goodbye to the final single from this album! Martina and Dolly occupied the #1 slot for 1 list, but could not hang on, ultimately falling back to #3. I've gotta be honest with you, the appeal of this song has always been lost on me... To me this one is incredibly boring, and I was shocked and disappointed when it got released as a single. On an album full of terrible singles, I thought this was one of the worst! And country radio largely agreed with me... However, I am clearly in the minority with regards to this song among Martina's fans, because it managed to make it this far in this rankdown. It takes down a #1 from someguy, but 4 others put this in their top 5, and everybody except three people had this in their top 10.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Songs Remaining}
’Til I Can Make It On My Own
I’ll Be There

[bboat11]

Which mean, for the first time in album rankdown history, the top 2 comes down to two album tracks!!!!! OMG!!!






"I'll Be There"

vs.

"'Til I Can Make It On My Own"




Which one will prove victorious???

[fearlessarrow]

I didn't know "I Still Miss Someone" featured Dolly Parton!

Well I hope my #1 wins at this point... When I was doing this RD I had no idea what was likely to do well or bad, so my #1 still being in is pleasantly surprising.

[tim]

I’m pleasantly surprised to see “I’ll Be There” make the final two considering the original version by Gail Davies left way too early in the 80’s Ladies rankdown. “‘Til I Can Make It On My Own” is the best song on the album so I’m hoping to see it pull through for the win.

[.indulgecountry]

"I Still Miss Someone" had Dolly Parton harmony vocals on it, which is all that was needed to make it the best song on this album.

[bboat11]

Aug 23, 2018 22:13:39 GMT -5 fearlessarrow said:

I didn't know "I Still Miss Someone" featured Dolly Parton!

Well I hope my #1 wins at this point... When I was doing this RD I had no idea what was likely to do well or bad, so my #1 still being in is pleasantly surprising.

Lmao she has like the most obvious and distinctive voice of all time tho

[fearlessarrow]

Aug 23, 2018 22:17:40 GMT -5 bboat11 said:

Aug 23, 2018 22:13:39 GMT -5 fearlessarrow said:

I didn't know "I Still Miss Someone" featured Dolly Parton!

Well I hope my #1 wins at this point... When I was doing this RD I had no idea what was likely to do well or bad, so my #1 still being in is pleasantly surprising.

Lmao she has like the most obvious and distinctive voice of all time tho

I know but somehow I missed it #flop

[bboat11]

So love me, if you’re ever gonna love me.
I never have seen a road too rough to ride.
Ain’t no chains strong enough to hold me,
Ain’t no breeze big enough to slow me,
I’ll be there if you ever want me by your side.

2. "I'll Be There"

Track #2
Runtime: 2:18
Songwriters: Ray Price, Rusty Gabbard
Original Artist: Ray Price
Vocal Range: F#3 - B♭4

Total: 113
Average: 8.07
Std Dev: 4.73


dub - 1
.indulgecountry - 4
Cody Wants Out... - 4
someguy - 5
bboat11 - 5
SHOOTER - 6
cerulean - 6
tim - 7
d3vin44 - 9
fearlessarrow - 9
kansasmeetsmo - 10
g8erboi - 15
Kanenrá:ke - 16
castleoblivion26 - 16


Troublemaker

---

Now and then, Lord, you know I’ll need a friend
‘Til I get used to losin’ you.
Let me keep on usin’ you
‘Til I can make it on my own.

1. "'Til I Can Make It On My Own"

Track #11
Runtime: 3:17
Songwriters: George Richey, Billy Sherrill, Tammy Wynette
Original Artist: Tammy Wynette
Vocal Range: G3 - C5



Total: 91
Average: 6.50
Std Dev: 6.62


bboat11 - 1
tim - 1
fearlessarrow - 1
g8erboi - 1
castleoblivion26 - 1
someguy - 2
cerulean - 2
kansasmeetsmo - 5
dub - 7
.indulgecountry - 9
Cody Wants Out... - 12
Kanenrá:ke - 13
d3vin44 - 14
SHOOTER - 22


Troublemaker

[bboat11]

"I'll Be There" bows out at 2nd place, and I am SO glad it made it that far! This is by far one of the catchiest songs on the album, and I never get tired of it :) I agree with tim that I was impressed to see it do so well considering how poorly the Gail Davies version did in the '80s Ladies rankdown. Martina's version captures a certain magic that Gail's version lacked, imo, which is undoubtedly what helped it to do so much better here. Everybody except for 3 had this in their top 10. This song started out as an obvious top 5 contender, and continued to just get stronger and stronger until it latched onto that #2 spot and didn't let go.



"'Til I Can Make It On My Own" tho BY FAR the best song on the album, and I am so glad that y'all mostly agreed with me! This had the most #1 ranks of the rankdown, with almost half the participants putting it there. The way the melody swells into high notes at the end of every verse is absolutely perfect for a voice like Martina's. This has always stood out to me as the only song on the album that can hold its own against most of Martina's regular songs without sounding out of place. The production, while traditional, still stacks up perfectly alongside her more modern big-voiced ballads, and for whatever reason this song just has a timeless sound to it that makes it feel like it could belong to any era. I am so glad to add this song to the short list of album tracks that have won rankdowns

[tim]

Perfect ending! “‘Til I Can Make It On My Own” is a song that fits right in with the rest of Martina’s discography and the one song on the album that I thought she really left her mark on.

Thanks again for the hosting duties bboat11!

[fearlessarrow]

Yessss "Til I Can Make It On My Own"!!! That was an immediate standout on Timeless, it was a pretty easy choice for the #1 for me.

Thanks for hosting, bboat11!!

[bboat11]

And of course, with a new album finished, here is the updated list to our future album tracks rankdown!!

Album Track List so far:

1. A Woman Knows
2. Walk That Line
3. When You Are Old
4. Losing You Feels Good
5.
6.
7.
8.
9. A Great Disguise
10. Two More Bottles Of Wine
11. All The Things We've Never Done
12. You've Been Driving All The Time
13. Be That Way
14. I Don't Want To See You Again
15. Some Say I'm Running
16. Keeping My Distance
17.
18.
19.
20.
21. Wearing White
22. City Of Love
23. So Magical
24. Learning To Fall
25. 'Til I Can Make It On My Own
26. I'll Be There
27. Once A Day
28. You Ain't Woman Enough
29. Everybody Does
30. House Of A Thousand Dreams
31. Tryin' To Find A Reason
32. If I Had Your Name
33. Lies
34. Walk Away
35. What Do I Have To Do
36. You're Not Leaving Me
37. Whatcha Gonna Do
38. One Night
39. You Can Get Your Lovin' Right Here
40. Summer Of Love
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.

[castleoblivion26]

I'm so happy "'Til I Can Make It On My Own" won because I have loved her version of that song since the first time I heard it. Even though most of my Top 10 missed the Top 10 at least my #1 was #1 lol

[bboat11]

Reckless




So, I have decided to just pick the next album myself without opening it up to a vote. Why did I pick Reckless this time? Well, as many of you may have noticed, Timeless is an incredibly long album... And it is also incredibly old-sounding... So I have decided to pick the polar opposite this time! Reckless is an incredibly short album, and it is also her newest album. This one will be much less of a time investment than Timeless for anybody who wants to check it out. (Also, I already made all the single covers for this one back when the album came out, so it will be a nice break for me to just host a rankdown using supplies that I already have )

Reckless came out in April of 2016, and was Martina's first (and only) album released through the Nash Icon label aimed at giving veteran artists a format to release new music. After venturing out of the genre to honor all her soul/R&B idols with her 2014 Everlasting album, Martina wanted this album to be a bit of a "returning to her roots" moment. So while it has more modern moments (lead single "Reckless" might be the most modern sounding song in her catalog), it also has moments where the layers strip back and let the piano lead the way ("You And You Alone", "It Ain't Pretty", etc.) Nothing on this album really saw any radio success, but imo several songs are right in line with the best songs in her peak. You definitely don't see her stepping back in quality as she ages!


The song list:
1. Reckless
2. It Ain't Pretty
3. Just Around The Corner
4. Everybody Wants To Be Loved
5. The Real Thing
6. That's The Thing About Love
7. Low All Afternoon
8. Diamond
9. We'll Pick Up Where We Left Off
10. You And You Alone


Rank the songs from 1-10, with #1 being your favorite, and then submit your lists to me via PM. The deadline for this one will be Monday, September 10!


Previous participants:
bboat11 soulfulwings castleoblivion26 someguy Kanenrá:ke George Strait Junkie .indulgecountry BlueShades874 d3vin44 fearlessarrow SHOOTER Cody Wants Out... dub Troublemaker born cerulean DistrictTwelve @adam1995 codyj100 kansasmeetsmo tim BackwoodsBarbie Leo ✔ Normi  austin  aerodynamite  g8erboi


New Invites:
.indulgecountry codyj100 Leo ✔ LBTrocks d3vin44 cerulean BlueShades874 dm2081 bigfan101 CoJoFan rgreen0625 Kentucky25 YotamTS zjames Sambalada chicken077 sabre14 fearlessarrow castleoblivion26 dub someguy Troublemaker trustypepper Cody Wants Out... vann Andy @adam1995 sbp17 Sean The Brazilian Guy 🇧🇷 stonemc06 tim toomuchboy BackwoodsBarbie wavey. andrewantonio aerodynamite Juanca DistrictTwelve SHOOTER samo🦕 carriefan15 Zeebz

[castleoblivion26]

I'm excited for this album. I definitely need to revisit it though as it has been a while since I really listened to it.

[bboat11]

Reminder time!!!! This is your 3 day warning!! This rankdown is still due on Monday, and I don't plan to offer any extensions. It's a 10-song album. You could literally still listen to this tiny album like 150 times before the deadline gets here...

This one is absolutely insane so far!! I mean, we are 9 lists in, and we are still at the point where somebody could rank a song all the way up in their top 5 and it somehow bumps it backwards 7 positions... Lol. The results are SO close, and all of the lists have been so different that many of the songs just keep tying with each other! A measly 8 points separate the entire top 5! Out of 10 songs, 4 of them have been #1 contenders after just 9 submissions, with all of them still doing well enough that one person's list could singlehandedly boost them back to the top.

Hopefully we get a lot more lists so that these results will start to stabilize a bit before reveals start!


Participants so far:
1. bboat11
2. George Strait Junkie
3. austin
4. castleoblivion26
5. someguy
6. Sambalada
7. Troublemaker
8. g8erboi
9. tim



Previous participants:
bboat11 soulfulwings castleoblivion26 someguy Kanenrá:ke George Strait Junkie .indulgecountry BlueShades874 d3vin44 fearlessarrow SHOOTER Cody Wants Out... dub Troublemaker born cerulean DistrictTwelve @adam1995 codyj100 kansasmeetsmo tim BackwoodsBarbie Leo ✔ Normi  austin  aerodynamite  g8erboi


New Invites:
.indulgecountry codyj100 Leo ✔ LBTrocks d3vin44 cerulean BlueShades874 dm2081 bigfan101 CoJoFan rgreen0625 Kentucky25 YotamTS zjames Sambalada chicken077 sabre14 fearlessarrow castleoblivion26 dub someguy Troublemaker trustypepper Cody Wants Out... vann Andy @adam1995 sbp17 Sean The Brazilian Guy 🇧🇷 stonemc06 tim toomuchboy BackwoodsBarbie wavey. andrewantonio aerodynamite Juanca DistrictTwelve SHOOTER samo🦕 carriefan15 Zeebz

[bboat11]

Got 4 more submissions in the last couple hours from codyj100 , dub , Cody Wants Out... , and fearlessarrow ! Now we're up to 13 participants, almost matching Timeless!.

[SHOOTER]

I’ll have it in on Monday for sure.

[bboat11]

1 day warning!!!! This is your last call!!!! This album is really short, so if you are at all considering this, I hope you give it a try! :)


Participants so far:
1. bboat11
2. George Strait Junkie
3. austin
4. castleoblivion26
5. someguy
6. Sambalada
7. Troublemaker
8. g8erboi
9. tim
10. codyj100
11. dub
12. Cody Wants Out...
13. fearlessarrow
14. .indulgecountry



Previous participants:
bboat11 soulfulwings castleoblivion26 someguy Kanenrá:ke George Strait Junkie .indulgecountry BlueShades874 d3vin44 fearlessarrow SHOOTER Cody Wants Out... dub Troublemaker born cerulean DistrictTwelve @adam1995 codyj100 kansasmeetsmo tim BackwoodsBarbie Leo ✔ Normi  austin  aerodynamite  g8erboi


New Invites:
.indulgecountry codyj100 Leo ✔ LBTrocks d3vin44 cerulean BlueShades874 dm2081 bigfan101 CoJoFan rgreen0625 Kentucky25 YotamTS zjames Sambalada chicken077 sabre14 fearlessarrow castleoblivion26 dub someguy Troublemaker trustypepper Cody Wants Out... vann Andy @adam1995 sbp17 Sean The Brazilian Guy 🇧🇷 stonemc06 tim toomuchboy BackwoodsBarbie wavey. andrewantonio aerodynamite Juanca DistrictTwelve SHOOTER samo🦕 carriefan15 Zeebz

[bboat11]

Kanenrá:ke, do you have time to submit for this one??? I'm ready to close it, but I can't imagine you missing out on one of these!

[bboat11]

Reckless Rankdown: Results Time!



Final Participant List: (20)
1. bboat11
2. George Strait Junkie
3. austin
4. castleoblivion26
5. someguy
6. Sambalada
7. Troublemaker
8. g8erboi
9. tim
10. codyj100
11. dub
12. Cody Wants Out...
13. fearlessarrow
14. .indulgecountry
15. kansasmeetsmo
16. SHOOTER
17. BackwoodsBarbie
18. born
19. cerulean
20. @walker9

Plus Kanenrá:ke told me his list was on the way a couple days ago... So Jordan, if you can get your list to me within the next 24 hours, I will count it! If not, this will be starting tomorrow. I am ready to get this moving :)

In the meantime, here are questions for y'all! I am so excited with this turnout Twenty participants is the most of any Martina rankdown so far! It totally blows Timeless' 14 out of the water

---

Questions to get us started:

1) What will be #1?

2) What will be #10?

3) Which songs belong in the top 5?

4) What song will be most polarizing? Least polarizing?

5) Which of the singles will place highest? Where will it place? (Reckless, Just Around The Corner)

6) Which of the singles will place lowest? Where will it place?

7) What will be the highest-placing album track? Where will it place?

8) Any other thoughts/predictions?

[castleoblivion26]

1) What will be #1?

most likely "Reckless" will be #1

2) What will be #10?

I'm hoping that "You and You Alone" is #10. Not a bad song (I do like everything) but that one is a little forgettable

3) Which songs belong in the top 5?

Along with "Reckless" I think "Just Around The Corner", "It Ain't Pretty", and "We'll Pick Up Where We Left Off" should be Top 5. I do think that the last spot should be between "Diamonds", or "That's The Thing About Love".

4) What song will be most polarizing? Least polarizing?

Most: "We'll Pick Up Where We Left Off"

Least: "Reckless"

5) Which of the singles will place highest? Where will it place? (Reckless, Just Around The Corner)

"Reckless" and it will be at #1

6) Which of the singles will place lowest? Where will it place?

"Just Around The Corner" will be lowest but it'll still be in the Top 3 or 4

7) What will be the highest-placing album track? Where will it place?

I think it should be "We'll Pick Up Where We Left Off" but I think it may be "It Ain't Pretty", which if you have not seen her in concert is amazing live!

8) Any other thoughts/predictions?

I'm probably gonna get annoyed with the results lol

[Kanenrá:ke]

1) What will be #1?
Pretty sure "Reckless" is going to win mostly because it was the biggest hit here.

2) What will be #10?
"You And You Alone" seems like the one most likely.


3) Which songs belong in the top 5?
My top 5 lol but there's 6 songs I'd like to see in.


4) What song will be most polarizing? Least polarizing?
Most: "Low All Afternoon"
Least: "You And You Alone"


5) Which of the singles will place highest? Where will it place? (Reckless, Just Around The Corner)
"Reckless" #1

6) Which of the singles will place lowest? Where will it place?
"Just Around The Corner" #4

7) What will be the highest-placing album track? Where will it place?
"It Ain't Pretty" #2


8) Any other thoughts/predictions?
Not my favorite Martina album but I always forget how enjoyable it is to listen to. I'll be really disappointed if my top 2 are out in the bottom 3.

[tim]

1) What will be #1? Since the title track was the lead single and biggest hit I assume it'll come out as the winner as well

2) What will be #10? I'll agree with the consensus that "You and You Alone" will leave first

3) Which songs belong in the top 5? "Reckless", "Just Around the Corner", "The Real Thing", "Diamond", and "Everybody Wants to Be Loved"

4) What song will be most/least polarizing? Most: maybe "It Ain't Pretty" since it'll draw comparisons to Lady A's version / Least: "Reckless"

5) Which of the singles will place highest and where will it place? "Reckless" for the win

6) Which of the singles will place lowest and where will it place? "Just Around the Corner" in the top 3

7) What will be the highest-placing album track and where will it place? "It Ain't Pretty" seems to be the favorite but I'll go with something else and say "Diamond"

8) Any other thoughts/predictions? Unpopular opinion: I'm partial to Lady A's version of "It Ain't Pretty" over Martina's (which is still good!)