Kanenrá:ke
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ethereal eternal nonexistent
she left her briquettes out in typical heaux fashion.
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Post by Kanenrá:ke on Jul 9, 2019 21:21:49 GMT -5
I couldn't agree more. After such a long wait this album as a whole was VERY disappointing. I still love it, but it may be my least listened to Sara album. I will say though, I very much disagree with you about "Wildfire". I LOVE her vocals on it. Reminds me a little of "Otis Redding"Which is also the worst song on Restless... Lmao
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.indulgecountry
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Best Country Poster 2011, 2017, & 2018
"You left a mark on my face // And brought a dozen red flags in a vase"
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Post by .indulgecountry on Jul 10, 2019 21:00:24 GMT -5
As I'm sure everybody expected, the unnecessary bluegrass rendition of Sara's signature hit "Born to Fly" makes an early exit from the Stronger rankdown. In the beginning this one fought with "Cabana Boy" over last place but ultimately enough posters somehow managed to like this useless cover more than some of the actual original songs she offered up on the new record that it put up a sizable safety net of almost 20 points. Two posters take a hit to their top 5 with this loss, and three others come close who slotted this one right in the exact middle of their rankings. But the vast majority had this one in the bottom 2, including six who lose their last place rank here. "I've been tellin' my dreams to the scarecrow About the places that I'd like to see I say 'Friend, do you think I'll ever get there?' Aww, but he just stands there smilin' back at me"
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Jul 10, 2019 21:11:10 GMT -5
Lmao HOW... At least it's gone now. I would have much rather they just included "Feels Just Like A Love Song" instead of this one, tbh. Even though they gave up on it as a single, it still would have made the end of the album feel less random and useless...
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LBTrocks
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Post by LBTrocks on Jul 10, 2019 21:12:59 GMT -5
"Cabana Boy" is the one song on the album I don't really like that much.
The bluegrass version of "Born To Fly" is honestly pretty good IMO, Sara sounds great still and the music is catchy. However, the original is WAY better, obviously.
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SHOOTER
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Post by SHOOTER on Jul 10, 2019 21:19:48 GMT -5
As unnecessary as it may have been, the bluegrass version of BTF is still a superior song in comparison to Cabana Boy.
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Jul 10, 2019 21:25:57 GMT -5
Now is where this gets truly interesting, because those were pretty much the obvious bottom 2! I don't really know what to expect, because so far none of the other Sara album rankdowns have gone at all the way I expected in the back half... Lol
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.indulgecountry
Diamond Member
Best Country Poster 2011, 2017, & 2018
"You left a mark on my face // And brought a dozen red flags in a vase"
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Post by .indulgecountry on Jul 10, 2019 21:27:14 GMT -5
Now that we've got the obvious bottom 2 out of the way... here's where things start to get more interesting. Out of the 9 new mainline tracks Sara gave us for Stronger, "Wildfire" gets snuffed out first and by a pretty clear margin as the #8 song wound up over 20 points ahead of it. This slick and poppy uptempo comparing a love to a wildfire with a toe-tapping beat and a sexy vocal performance from Sara received minimal fanfare with only four top 5 ranks and a few that came close. It does bring with it the highest loss yet in the rankdown as d3vin44 loses his #2. On the other hand, four posters see their #11 flame out, and half of the contingent loses a bottom 3. There is now only one song left in the running that has last-place ranks still in play. "Yeah, I was out here freezing 'Til you covered me in feelings This spark you lit inside me just won't die"
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LBTrocks
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Post by LBTrocks on Jul 10, 2019 21:28:36 GMT -5
Total jam and did NOT deserve to be out this early.
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Jul 10, 2019 21:31:50 GMT -5
Oh, this is just going swell!! I'm not sure what it is about "Wildfire", but it has always been near the bottom of the album for me. I do like it a lot more now than I did upon release, so there's that! I don't skip it anymore :)
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.indulgecountry
Diamond Member
Best Country Poster 2011, 2017, & 2018
"You left a mark on my face // And brought a dozen red flags in a vase"
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Post by .indulgecountry on Jul 10, 2019 21:45:52 GMT -5
The sprightly album opener "Desperately" bows out next at #8. This is one that's always been divisive in her catalog, but I've never totally understood why because it has easily one of the most incredible melodies on the album and the introduction music is just spot-on money with that catchy banjo riff and layered background vocals, topped off by a breezy and charismatic vocal from Sara Evans. Despite my gushing of it, it still only made it to the middle of my list, which I chalk up to the strength of Stronger. Another #2 loss is felt here, but this time it is Wavey✨️ who winds up on the wrong side of this reveal. Most participants experience a loss in the middle of their lists as we get deeper into the meat of this record, with a lot of #7s falling. On the plus side, this is the first song to leave without any last-place rankings! "Babe I believe that everyday it's a crossroad We can take the right fork, take the left Just as long as we move ahead Just as long as you promise that you'll always be with me It's all I want it's to be loved, to be loved"
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d3vin44
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Post by d3vin44 on Jul 10, 2019 21:48:08 GMT -5
Wildfire is great.... 🤬
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Jul 10, 2019 21:51:42 GMT -5
I have no idea how or why, but I always tend to forget that "Desperately" exists... And I feel bad, because that opening music is iconic as fuq!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, what a perfect jam to kick off this album! Unfortunately, I have never felt that the song as a whole lives up to its musical arrangement. It still deserved to do a little better in this rankdown though.
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LBTrocks
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Post by LBTrocks on Jul 10, 2019 21:56:31 GMT -5
bboat11 can remain happy but this RD basically fell apart after the first two reveals tbh
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SHOOTER
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Typical of those in power to stay worried about the *wrong* shit.
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Post by SHOOTER on Jul 10, 2019 23:07:43 GMT -5
Perfect bottom-3.
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Jul 11, 2019 0:21:41 GMT -5
bboat11 can remain happy but this RD basically fell apart after the first two reveals tbh Nah, for you it fell apart after only one reveal, Mister “Tied-For-Second-Highest-Ranker-Of-The-Useless-Cover-Song”.
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bigfan101
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I am Sara Evans other fan.
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Post by bigfan101 on Jul 11, 2019 8:11:56 GMT -5
When your bottom four is the decided bottom four. 👍🏻
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Post by BlueShades874 on Jul 12, 2019 12:00:53 GMT -5
I remember lots of negativity towards Desperately when the album first came out, and I never understood it! Some say the lyrics are cringey, but I think the song is extremely catchy. Also, I remember back before A Little Bit Stronger was released, her Wikipedia page had Desperately listed to be the first single, but it was quickly removed. I wonder how the era would have turned out had that been released as the first single...
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.indulgecountry
Diamond Member
Best Country Poster 2011, 2017, & 2018
"You left a mark on my face // And brought a dozen red flags in a vase"
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Post by .indulgecountry on Jul 15, 2019 7:42:16 GMT -5
... for our first #1 loss of the rankdown!
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.indulgecountry
Diamond Member
Best Country Poster 2011, 2017, & 2018
"You left a mark on my face // And brought a dozen red flags in a vase"
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Post by .indulgecountry on Jul 15, 2019 7:51:53 GMT -5
"Ticket to Ride," yet another one of Stronger's more uptempo tracks crash lands in the bottom half of the rankdown. A fun fiddle-laden song detailing a woman falling in love by chance on an airplane with the guy sitting next to her after they get to talking about their shared bad luck with relationships, which stands out thanks to some fun, quirky lyrics (my favorite being highlighted below). We have come to that time in the rankdown where someone has a #1 casualty, and the unfortunate honor goes to sunburn who loses his favorite track first. On the brightside, the majority of this one's ranks were from the middle of the album with the almost all of them falling in the 5-8 range. Low fanfare outside of the #1 and a #2 ranking from LBTrocks led to it being unable to reach the threshold of the top 5, but it wasn't drug down by any bottom 2s on the other end. If this rankdown were a flight, this one firmly booked a middle seat. "He said I just broke up with my girlfriend yesterday In a 'Dear John' note she said I'm moving to L.A. I'm calling it off I'm taking the dog And don't try to follow She thinks she's a big star now She made the Hollywood round Of American Idol"
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d3vin44
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Post by d3vin44 on Jul 15, 2019 7:53:05 GMT -5
Someone DIDN'T put "A Little Bit Stronger" at number 1?
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.indulgecountry
Diamond Member
Best Country Poster 2011, 2017, & 2018
"You left a mark on my face // And brought a dozen red flags in a vase"
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Post by .indulgecountry on Jul 15, 2019 8:13:06 GMT -5
Our final song missing out on the top 5 of the Stronger rankdown is "Life Without Losing," which comes up short by only three points! "Life Without Losing" is a uniquely melodic song with Sara Evans singing about her state of despair following a loss (either a breakup or death, it's up to interpretation I'd say). The song has a definite tinge of sadness to the way it is performed, which fits the sort of emotional turmoil laid out by the lyrics. This one was able to get a little more love on the higher end of ranks with the second #1 loss of the game thus far (sorry BlueShades874) and a slew of nine additional top 5s, including two runner-ups (one of which sadly finds sunburn losing his top 2 songs back-to-back). On the other hand, it was drug down by a decent number of lower ranks in the neighborhood of #8-9 that kept it from unseating the next highest song in the end, despite a close finish. "Sometimes I think that I'm doing better Then the night shows up and it drags on forever And the Devil tells me we'll never be together"
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.indulgecountry
Diamond Member
Best Country Poster 2011, 2017, & 2018
"You left a mark on my face // And brought a dozen red flags in a vase"
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Post by .indulgecountry on Jul 15, 2019 8:14:54 GMT -5
Someone DIDN'T put "A Little Bit Stronger" at number 1? There's only one song still in that didn't get a #1 rank, meaning that six different songs from the album got #1s.
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.indulgecountry
Diamond Member
Best Country Poster 2011, 2017, & 2018
"You left a mark on my face // And brought a dozen red flags in a vase"
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Post by .indulgecountry on Jul 15, 2019 8:18:18 GMT -5
Feel free to make top 5 predictions and guess whether any of the two remaining album tracks will slide past any of the singles. Your Top 5: A Little Bit Stronger My Heart Can't Tell You No Anywhere Alone What That Drink Cost Me
What we've lost: 06. Life Without Losing 07. Ticket to Ride 08. Desperately 09. Wildfire 10. Born to Fly [Bluegrass Version] 11. Cabana Boy
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Post by castleoblivion26 on Jul 15, 2019 9:16:43 GMT -5
my Top 5 is the Top 5!
I'll be shocked if "A Little Bit Stronger" isn't #1 as that song is one of those songs that just is timeless. The rest of these songs are really good but none are on the same level. That being said I do think that "Anywhere" is the weakest of the bunch, followed by "My Heart Can't Tell You No" so I hope those 2 miss the Top 3. Also "Alone" should be #2, love the lyrics of that song and her delivery reminds me of "Cheatin'", which I also love. Sad that was not a single.
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bigfan101
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I am Sara Evans other fan.
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Post by bigfan101 on Jul 15, 2019 9:57:02 GMT -5
This rankdown is going smashingly...the top 5 all ranks in my top 6.
I know my winner won’t win, as we are all waiting for ALBS to score that.
I’m going to predict a non-single finishes #2.
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austin
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Post by austin on Jul 15, 2019 12:04:18 GMT -5
5 Alone 4 Anywhere 3 My Heart 2 What That Drink Cost Me 1 Stronger
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2019 12:41:10 GMT -5
Awww Life Without Losing just missed the top 5 :( It would be cool if A Little Bit Stronger didn't win, seeing that everyone thinks it will win. Let's see what happens.
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Jul 15, 2019 17:43:30 GMT -5
My heart died a little bit when I saw "Life Without Losing" pop up, but this is literally the best-case scenario I had for it in my mind, so I am not actually all that disappointed The melody for that one is so smooth, and the production is sleek, and the whole thing just goes down easily. I also like how it has a bit more tempo than many of the songs on the album. "Ticket To Ride" is fun, and has a nice energy to it. However, I have never been able to fully get into the melody. Also, the whole meeting-the-love-of-your-life-while-traveling-by-air theme was already done previously with "Brooklyn & Austin" on her Hallmark cd, and imo that one is WAY better. This one has always felt like a half-baked attempt to recapture the magic that was in the other one.
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Jul 15, 2019 17:46:07 GMT -5
For the top 5, literally the only thing I am sure of is that ALBS will be #1. Everything else could go in whatever order it wants to, and I would not be at all surprised by the outcome! Here is my stab at predictions though.
5. Alone 4. What That Drink Cost Me 3. My Heart Can't Tell You No 2. Anywhere 1. A Little Bit Stronger
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.indulgecountry
Diamond Member
Best Country Poster 2011, 2017, & 2018
"You left a mark on my face // And brought a dozen red flags in a vase"
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Post by .indulgecountry on Jul 15, 2019 21:09:21 GMT -5
The first of two remaining album cuts falls just inside the top 5 (it managed to beat our #6 song by only three points), as "Alone" takes a leave of absence. One of the album's most tender moments, this ballad starts out with sparse production and a very light vocal from Sara Evans, before suddenly swelling as it heads into the chorus and then launching into a beautiful fiddle-laden bridge which is certainly the song's best moment imo. Originally pegged as the album's third single by Sara herself (and the CD sticker) who raved over the song as "career-changing," it ultimately never saw the light of day at radio. This reveal marks two major things for the remainder of this rankdown as it is the final song to not receive at least one #1 rank, while also being the last song standing to still harbor some last-place ranks. In fact, it got two of them (courtesy of Troublemaker and @xfer). "Alone" wound up being one of the more polarizing tracks on the record as it also received five #2 ranks and a lot of additional top 5s, while also picking up another four bottom 2 ranks. "I left you this message so you'd know Sometimes loving me just means leaving me alone"
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