fearlessarrow
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Post by fearlessarrow on Apr 8, 2022 5:55:00 GMT -5
"Ghost Story" is starting to grow on me... it's pretty catchy! Still don't love it but I think I like it.
Now "Denim & Rhinestones"! I wasn't expecting a disco-tinged track from Carrie but it works; I suppose Carrie decided to try her hand at the current trend. Not that I really think she will, but if she ever wanted to try a pop single this could be it. Don't think it would smash but maybe like a top 20 on HAC and top 30 on pop?
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austin
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Post by austin on Apr 8, 2022 8:42:35 GMT -5
The production is so awful on the new track it sounds like she listened to the worst Taylor pop songs and copied them. I also find it weird a song so country in lyrics talking about Dolly and sweet tea in the first 20 seconds has no country in sound. Hard pass for me on the new one.
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zdm1998
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Post by zdm1998 on Apr 8, 2022 9:24:21 GMT -5
Maybe it'll grow on me, but (so far) I'm not really liking what I'm hearing from the new album era. I'm longing for something more along the lines of Storyteller and yet I think those days are long behind her. I'm sure this'll sound great at the club, so there's that. This. Carrie Underwood is obviously a very talented singer and I like her voice, but between "Ghost Story" and now the title track, neither of these first two songs are really sticking with me and for me it might be the production that's kind of holding me back from liking it. I am still holding out hope for some songs that sound like Storyteller but if these first two songs are any indication this feels like it could be Cry Pretty 2.0 in which case, ugh. They aren't bad songs, but they just don't do anything for me personally. Obviously Carrie Underwood is free to make whatever music she wants too at this stage of her career, but selfishly on my end I wish it was more along the lines of her first 5 albums and not Cry Pretty. This is where I'm at. It's disappointing because she's the female country artist I'm a fan of the most, but I've just found everything post Storyteller (minus the two passion projects) to be bland, and more to be desired. The production on the new stuff is just underwhelming to me, I really wish she would drop David as a producer, and co produce with someone else. The new songs aren't bad, but I just have a hard time believing that these are going to be remembered as time passes. I don't think country radio is beginning to move on from her as of now, but I do think if she continues to not have radio in mind at all it could lead there as time passes.
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zaclord š
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Post by zaclord š on Apr 8, 2022 9:37:19 GMT -5
I quite like "Denim & Rhinestones"! I love it as an album title too. It's a sound I love and I think Carrie pulls it off well, but it does worry me that this album is going to sound fairly similarly to Cry Pretty which is far and away her worst body of work of her career.
I like both GS and D&R better than 90% of Cry Pretty, which is a good sign, but I neither come close to anything in the better half of Blown Away, which was the sound I was hoping we would transition back to. I'm still holding out hope to be impressed by more of this album, but I'm afraid I'll be disappointed like I was with CP (albeit maybe not quite as much).
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schnetzka
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Post by schnetzka on Apr 8, 2022 9:39:32 GMT -5
I know I am in the minority but 'Cry Pretty' is one of my favorite albums by Carrie and if she continues in that sound I will be very happy.
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Post by Carriefan1190 on Apr 8, 2022 9:39:57 GMT -5
This. Carrie Underwood is obviously a very talented singer and I like her voice, but between "Ghost Story" and now the title track, neither of these first two songs are really sticking with me and for me it might be the production that's kind of holding me back from liking it. I am still holding out hope for some songs that sound like Storyteller but if these first two songs are any indication this feels like it could be Cry Pretty 2.0 in which case, ugh. They aren't bad songs, but they just don't do anything for me personally. Obviously Carrie Underwood is free to make whatever music she wants too at this stage of her career, but selfishly on my end I wish it was more along the lines of her first 5 albums and not Cry Pretty.Ā This is where I'm at. It's disappointing because she's the female country artist I'm a fan of the most, but I've just found everything post Storyteller (minus the two passion projects) to be bland, and more to be desired. The production on the new stuff is just underwhelming to me, I really wish she would drop David as a producer, and co produce with someone else. The new songs aren't bad, but I just have a hard time believing that these are going to be remembered as time passes.Ā I don't think country radio is beginning to move on from her as of now, but I do think if she continues to not have radio in mind at all it could lead there as time passes. This. Iāve wanted her to drop David as a producer ever since CP came out. The only thing he didnāt manage to bungle was My Savior, because that album was almost perfect. I donāt think the move to Capitol benefitted her at all. She shouldāve stayed with Sony and producers like Mark Bright and Dann Huff.
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daddy
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Post by daddy on Apr 8, 2022 10:21:32 GMT -5
It's funny to see numerous posts here and elsewhere of people wanting her to work with Mark Bright again. I recall many people wanting her to stop working with him back in the day. I thought they hit a sweet spot together with Play On/Blown Away. Personally, my favorite production from her was Storyteller, and I'd love for her to co-produce with Mark Bright and especially Jay Joyce. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening, as she seems comfortable with David. If it weren't for My Savior, I would be ready for a different producer, but that album's production was gorgeous and gives me hope that they might tone it down in the future.
I like the production on D&R but would have preferred a different approach with Ghost Story.
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Post by Carriefan1190 on Apr 8, 2022 10:55:49 GMT -5
Hopefully this starts gaining some steam once more songs go recurrent. If this at least cracks top 10, Iāll be happy.
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zdm1998
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Post by zdm1998 on Apr 8, 2022 11:05:09 GMT -5
She shouldāve stayed with Sony and producers like Mark Bright and Dann Huff. Her moving to Capitol Records was a business move, not a creative one. She could have easily worked with Mark Bright, even at her new label and chose not to because she obviously wanted something different and to choose her own production team for once while also simultaneously learning to produce as well. That also doesn't stop her from creating whatever music she wants, regardless of what producer. We could have had the same music with the only thing different is the production style, which I don't think is the sole reason why people are not liking the new stuff. Also, Dan Huff was only her producer for Some Hearts and it was solely Mark Bright until Storyteller, where she worked with him in addition to Jay Joyce and Zach Crowell. That probably also explains why she stopped working with him since she already was venturing out during that time with different producers. (Since it was mentioned a while ago by somebody else, Greg Wells was only her producer for My Gift and nothing else.) I actually feel like my main issue is with the production actually. I think Ghost Story is an interesting lyric, but the production doesn't match the lyrics. It'd be like putting Two Black Cadillacs or Church Bell's lyrics over Southbound or End Up With You's production; it just doesn't work.
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raylatch98
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Post by raylatch98 on Apr 8, 2022 11:42:58 GMT -5
Hopefully this starts gaining some steam once more songs go recurrent. If this at least cracks top 10, Iāll be happy. Girl, this song has been on the charts for 3 weeks and chart runs are nowadays stretched out to the brink, it's doing just fine.
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taylor
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Post by taylor on Apr 8, 2022 11:57:24 GMT -5
Lolā¦ Cry Pretty canāt possibly be the worst Carrie Underwood album when āLow,ā āGhosts on the Stereo,ā āDrinking Alone,ā āThe Bullet,ā āBacksliding,ā and the title track are all featured on it. She and David are making pure magic togetherā¦I hope she continues to work with him, particularly because of the majesty that was My Savior. Donāt let āThat Songā scar yāall quite so badly I love both of these new songs (but am OBSESSED with D&R) and Iām ecstatic to hear this album.
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raylatch98
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Post by raylatch98 on Apr 8, 2022 12:02:44 GMT -5
Lolā¦ Cry Pretty canāt possibly be the worst Carrie Underwood album when āLow,ā āGhosts on the Stereo,ā āDrinking Alone,ā āThe Bullet,ā āBacksliding,ā and the title track are all featured on it. She and David are making pure magic togetherā¦I hope she continues to work with him, particularly because of the majesty that was My Savior. Donāt let āThat Songā scar yāall quite so badly I love both of these new songs (but am OBSESSED with D&R) and Iām ecstatic to hear this album. It's a matter of opinion, it's not a factual one way or the other that Cry Pretty is the best/worst album, and I am kind of annoyed that you are implying people are just wrong for saying Cry Pretty was her worst album. All of the songs you listed, are songs that I don't care for whatsoever not to mention "That Song" and I have found Carrie's music to be lacking lately.
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Jack
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Post by Jack on Apr 8, 2022 12:09:37 GMT -5
The production is so awful on the new track it sounds like she listened to the worst Taylor pop songs and copied them. I also find it weird a song so country in lyrics talking about Dolly and sweet tea in the first 20 seconds has no country in sound. Hard pass for me on the new one. It's v free YouTube Taylor Swift 1989 karaoke playlist, to be sure. Maybe it'll grow on me, but (so far) I'm not really liking what I'm hearing from the new album era. I'm longing for something more along the lines of Storyteller and yet I think those days are long behind her. I'm sure this'll sound great at the club, so there's that. This. Carrie Underwood is obviously a very talented singer and I like her voice, but between "Ghost Story" and now the title track, neither of these first two songs are really sticking with me and for me it might be the production that's kind of holding me back from liking it. I am still holding out hope for some songs that sound like Storyteller but if these first two songs are any indication this feels like it could be Cry Pretty 2.0 in which case, ugh. They aren't bad songs, but they just don't do anything for me personally. Obviously Carrie Underwood is free to make whatever music she wants too at this stage of her career, but selfishly on my end I wish it was more along the lines of her first 5 albums and not Cry Pretty. Agree with a lot of this. Her output since Capitol has been so frustrating and confusing. If she's done chasing radio why not create something...perish the thought, interesting? She had a chance to maybe occupy some of the space Taylor created ten years ago, but she opted not to. But what did she do instead instead? Not to harken back to the roots of the genre, like say Dixie Chicks' Home or create something with - I don't know - the vaguest of sonic landscapes or interesting influences. Instead...to do covers albums and campaigns that look like Dolly cosplay, but come with the same vague, nebulous direction like 'songs you can sing with your hairbrush' and 'for the shelves of Walmart' ambitions. Transitioning into a successor to Shania and becoming a global megastar clearly wasn't on the agenda (Lord knows she could have), neither was anything resembling true experimentation, neither was embracing the roots of her genre sofar as radio goes, and so the path she did go down is all the more baffling. But you know what? I don't think her label or core fanbase care. As long as she's scanning platinum and selling concert tickets to same million or so people, they'll applaud and those yes/yass people won't expect anything more. Every one else will bop to Before He Cheats and comment about her legs on social media every time she shows up, sings loudly and wears a sparkly dress. I know the calls of "haters are so unfair, holding Carrie up to her own standards" straw-man, but I think of some of the work other Country females have come out with since she was last doing anything of note - which my opinion takes us way back to 2015 and the Storyteller singles. Since or around then we've had Burning House, My Church, I Hope, Good Ones, Bluebird, Tin Man, More Hearts Than Mine, hell all of Golden Hour...all the type of career songs and legacy music Carrie did almost relentlessly for 10 years and made it look easy. Whether it's her taste, the bogus controversy surrounding her the last couple of years/the 'cold' accusations that follow her around meaning that Carrie no longer gets the pick of the best writers/songs to work with, I hope it's not and is is - as you say - a choice, because at least then she has the courage of her own convictions. I certainly didn't see Carrie in her 30s picking the career of Reba in her 50s, cause Lord knows with Carrie's success and talent she had options - but here we are. I don't know about Jesus, but I'd certainly like Jack Antonoff/Greg Kurstin (from start to finish EPing, I know she's worked with him recently)/Jeff Bhasker /Dan/Mark ANY other label and A&R team to take the wheel and spare the genre this Groundhog Day of monotony and mediocrity she's found herself in.
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zaclord š
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Post by zaclord š on Apr 8, 2022 12:15:23 GMT -5
Yeah, letās stop acting like peoplesā personal opinions are incorrect. Cry Pretty is far and away her worst album in my opinion. Some people agree, some donāt and thatās fine.
For me, āLowā and āDrinking Aloneā are great songs, āSpinning Bottlesā, āBackslidingā, and āEnd Up With Youā are all good, the rest is not good in my opinion. Albums like Play On also have some mediocre filler, but not as much as CP in my opinion. There are more highlights on PO than CP has so I rank that album a tad bit higher. Neither are her best work though.
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taylor
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Post by taylor on Apr 8, 2022 12:30:34 GMT -5
Yeah, letās stop acting like peoplesā personal opinions are incorrect. Cry Pretty is far and away her worst album in my opinion. Some people agree, some donāt and thatās fine. For me, āLowā and āDrinking Aloneā are great songs, āSpinning Bottlesā, āBackslidingā, and āEnd Up With Youā are all good, the rest is not good in my opinion. Albums like Play On also have some mediocre filler, but not as much as CP in my opinion. There are more highlights on PO than CP has so I rank that album a tad bit higher. Neither are her best work though. ā¦I have always thought us Tractors had a tendency to be sarcastic with one another, even when sharing opinions, and thatās how I was framing my disagreement. Even that ālolā I started off with was facetious. It was not a personal indictment of any of yāallās opinions. Thatās literally all that wasāit was not me trying to have some holier-than-thou attitude. If it came off that way or I framed it wrong, I apologize. I personally think CP is right up there with her greatest albums. Take off āThat Songā and itās a perfect albumāto me. You and lots of others disagree, and thatās fine.
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desertfloods
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Post by desertfloods on Apr 8, 2022 14:13:31 GMT -5
Play On is Carrie's worst album.
And I do not want to see Mark Bright as a producer on her album again. It may have worked in earlier eras, but I am done with him always drowning her voice in loud production every album.
It's not a coincidence that we get to see so much more of what she can do with her voice after she dropped Mark Bright. Maybe it's just me, but I felt that she has GOT to move forward and away from same old power vocals every album. Even I get tired of the same style as a long time fan, let alone casual listeners.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2022 14:43:14 GMT -5
Hopefully this starts gaining some steam once more songs go recurrent. If this at least cracks top 10, Iāll be happy. Girl, this song has been on the charts for 3 weeks and chart runs are nowadays stretched out to the brink, it's doing just fine. So true. It's going to be a long chart run, but that's what everyone has now. I could see it going top 10 easily.
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Typo
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Post by Typo on Apr 8, 2022 15:35:36 GMT -5
Mark Bright and Dann Huff are both such relics. Obviously I can appreciate their prior work, but itās just dated at this point. Thereās a reason neither of them are working with anyone noteworthy anymore.
Jay Joyce is way too overused. We know exactly how thatās going to sound, and Carrie already did it with Storyteller.
Jack Antonoff....yeah, no thanks. I didn't care for what he did to DCX. Maybe co-writing more together.
Greg Kurstin is a definite no for me based on Humble Quest. I donāt think he has any business producing country music actually.
Iām happy with David Garcia. I think heās extremely talented and has range unlike any of her past collaborators. The fact that heās involved in everything from the Aerosmith rock of āCry Prettyā to the traditional roots of My Savior and now the 80s throwback of D&R is impressive. She can do anything she wants with him, and I can't say that about the rest.
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zdm1998
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Post by zdm1998 on Apr 8, 2022 16:22:40 GMT -5
The production is so awful on the new track it sounds like she listened to the worst Taylor pop songs and copied them. I also find it weird a song so country in lyrics talking about Dolly and sweet tea in the first 20 seconds has no country in sound. Hard pass for me on the new one. It's v free YouTube Taylor Swift 1989 karaoke playlist, to be sure. This. Carrie Underwood is obviously a very talented singer and I like her voice, but between "Ghost Story" and now the title track, neither of these first two songs are really sticking with me and for me it might be the production that's kind of holding me back from liking it. I am still holding out hope for some songs that sound like Storyteller but if these first two songs are any indication this feels like it could be Cry Pretty 2.0 in which case, ugh. They aren't bad songs, but they just don't do anything for me personally. Obviously Carrie Underwood is free to make whatever music she wants too at this stage of her career, but selfishly on my end I wish it was more along the lines of her first 5 albums and not Cry Pretty. Agree with a lot of this. Her output since Capitol has been so frustrating and confusing. If she's done chasing radio why not create something...perish the thought, interesting? She had a chance to maybe occupy some of the space Taylor created ten years ago, but she opted not to. But what did she do instead instead? Not to harken back to the roots of the genre, like say Dixie Chicks' Home or create something with - I don't know - the vaguest of sonic landscapes or interesting influences. Instead...to do covers albums and campaigns that look like Dolly cosplay, but come with the same vague, nebulous direction like 'songs you can sing with your hairbrush' and 'for the shelves of Walmart' ambitions. Transitioning into a successor to Shania and becoming a global megastar clearly wasn't on the agenda (Lord knows she could have), neither was anything resembling true experimentation, neither was embracing the roots of her genre sofar as radio goes, and so the path she did go down is all the more baffling. But you know what? I don't think her label or core fanbase care. As long as she's scanning platinum and selling concert tickets to same million or so people, they'll applaud and those yes/yass people won't expect anything more. Every one else will bop to Before He Cheats and comment about her legs on social media every time she shows up, sings loudly and wears a sparkly dress. I know the calls of "haters are so unfair, holding Carrie up to her own standards" straw-man, but I think of some of the work other Country females have come out with since she was last doing anything of note - which my opinion takes us way back to 2015 and the Storyteller singles. Since or around then we've had Burning House, My Church, I Hope, Good Ones, Bluebird, Tin Man, hell all of Golden Hour...all the type of career songs and legacy music Carrie did almost relentlessly for 10 years and made it look easy. Whether it's her taste, the bogus controversy surrounding her the last couple of years/the 'cold' accusations that follow her around meaning that Carrie no longer gets the pick of the best writers/songs to work with, I hope it's not and is is - as you say - a choice, because at least then she has the courage of her own convictions. I certainly didn't see Carrie in her 30s picking the career of Reba in her 50s, cause Lord knows with Carrie's success and talent she had options - but here we are. I don't know about Jesus, but I'd certainly like Jack Antonoff/Greg Kurstin (from start to finish EPing, I know she's worked with him recently)/Jeff Bhasker /Dan/Mark ANY other label and A&R team to take the wheel and spare the genre this Groundhog Day of monotony and mediocrity she's found herself in. This whole post deserves a Grammy. I'm a huge fan of hers and even I agree with almost all of this. Like Carrie is HUGE. One of the most successful women over the past two decades any genre. Her stuff used to be big ole moment's when she was putting out new stuff, but I feel like now it's really just people already inside the fanbase who i'm hearing talk about her new stuff. Now fans are starting to blame her age as a reason she's not getting played like she used to (which is a thing and will happen eventually but is not the case right now at all.) Look at how fast IIDLY went #1 and how big that was, Carrie was a huge reason why that song was so massive, as Jason hadn't seen a 3 week #1 in a decade. Radio is still very much in her corner, she's just not in theirs anymore. If she's done chasing radio hits that's fine, but at least put out something that is a stand out (Tin Man, Vice, My Church) that will at least resonate. What she's putting out now feels here today gone tomorrow, not bad, just not memorable.
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Jack
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Post by Jack on Apr 8, 2022 16:52:05 GMT -5
Greg Kurstin is a definite no for me based on Humble Quest. I donāt think he has any business producing country music actually. I'll side-step the rest of the dismissals, given that Ghosty Story and Denim and Rhinestones are songs being caped for here, and point out the Greg and Maren also produced and wrote one of the biggest crossover hits of the last few years with The Bones. Humble Quest might be a little lowkey, it might not have even done very well so far, but they fact they created a soundscape (beyond 'hey synths are cool'), with interesting influences and a cohesive/atmospheric tone is something. The care bears would be apoplectic if Carrie Underwood released anything as well constructed or sung as Background Music, but that's another matter. If it is indeed true that Jack has no business producing Country music, luckily for him, you, and my suggestion - Carrie has stopped making it.
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Post by bboat11 on Apr 8, 2022 17:13:37 GMT -5
Whether it's her taste, the bogus controversy surrounding her the last couple of years/the 'cold' accusations that follow her around meaning that Carrie no longer gets the pick of the best writers/songs to work with, I hope it's not and is is - as you say - a choice, because at least then she has the courage of her own convictions. I certainly didn't see Carrie in her 30s picking the career of Reba in her 50s, cause Lord knows with Carrie's success and talent she had options - but here we are. I do like a lot of your post, but this comparison isn't entirely fair. On the one hand, Reba took a lot more time off from the music scene during her 50s than Carrie has been doing so far in her 30s. But also, when Reba did release music in her 50s, it was a LOT more consistent in quality and intentionally crafted to build upon her past successes and expand her career in obvious ways than what Carrie has been making in her 30s
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Jack
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Post by Jack on Apr 8, 2022 17:38:11 GMT -5
Whether it's her taste, the bogus controversy surrounding her the last couple of years/the 'cold' accusations that follow her around meaning that Carrie no longer gets the pick of the best writers/songs to work with, I hope it's not and is is - as you say - a choice, because at least then she has the courage of her own convictions. I certainly didn't see Carrie in her 30s picking the career of Reba in her 50s, cause Lord knows with Carrie's success and talent she had options - but here we are. I do like a lot of your post, but this comparison isn't entirely fair. On the one hand, Reba took a lot more time off from the music scene during her 50s than Carrie has been doing so far in her 30s. But also, when Reba did release music in her 50s, it was a LOT more consistent in quality and intentionally crafted to build upon her past successes and expand her career in obvious ways than what Carrie has been making in her 30s Fair! I just recalled covers albums, leaning into life as a legacy act, late career Pop flirtations etc. and may have underestimated the quality of her work in retrospect.
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Apr 8, 2022 17:54:40 GMT -5
Yeah, letās stop acting like peoplesā personal opinions are incorrect. Cry Pretty is far and away her worst album in my opinion. Some people agree, some donāt and thatās fine. For me, āLowā and āDrinking Aloneā are great songs, āSpinning Bottlesā, āBackslidingā, and āEnd Up With Youā are all good, the rest is not good in my opinion. Albums like Play On also have some mediocre filler, but not as much as CP in my opinion. There are more highlights on PO than CP has so I rank that album a tad bit higher. Neither are her best work though. ā¦I have always thought us Tractors had a tendency to be sarcastic with one another, even when sharing opinions, and thatās how I was framing my disagreement. Even that ālolā I started off with was facetious. It was not a personal indictment of any of yāallās opinions. Thatās literally all that wasāit was not me trying to have some holier-than-thou attitude. If it came off that way or I framed it wrong, I apologize. I personally think CP is right up there with her greatest albums. Take off āThat Songā and itās a perfect albumāto me. You and lots of others disagree, and thatās fine. I just wanted to comment on this real quick, because the ability to shade each other and make it fun is definitely a feature among the tight-knit Country community who participates in rankdowns and other stuff in the Games forum, but it's because we all typically get to know each other's personalities and become "friends". It isn't always as likely to go over well in the main country forum where people are here to learn the latest music news and don't necessarily know or care about the pre-existing social dynamics between other posters. Lord knows that's why many of my posts can sound condescending at times, because I forget that not everyone here knows that I'm joking when I tell LBTrocks that his taste gets floppier with every passing day, or try to shade zaclord š for not knowing any music that existed prior to Carrie's debut album coming out So yeah, let's all try to keep that in mind when we are expressing our opinions about things.
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Apr 8, 2022 18:56:53 GMT -5
I do like a lot of your post, but this comparison isn't entirely fair. On the one hand, Reba took a lot more time off from the music scene during her 50s than Carrie has been doing so far in her 30s. But also, when Reba did release music in her 50s, it was a LOT more consistent in quality and intentionally crafted to build upon her past successes and expand her career in obvious ways than what Carrie has been making in her 30s Fair! I just recalled covers albums, leaning into life as a legacy act, late career Pop flirtations etc. and may have underestimated the quality of her work in retrospect. She kicked off her 50s by releasing a duets album, and did kinda start leaning into life as a legacy act for sure, but overall her career continued to be substantive and inspired. Like, Keep on Loving You is probably the best album I've ever heard a female artist in their 50s put out! To Reba's credit, where there is plenty of room to not like the way she modernized her sound over time (like I could totally imagine hating "Turn on the Radio" if someone prefers "Somebody Should Leave"-era Reba), one thing that she has always had plenty of is artistic vision. That woman knows exactly what she wants her music to sound like, and exactly where she wants her career to go, and she makes it happen. I don't think Reba has ever put out an album that could be described as "inconsistent" or "directionless", and there has never been any question of what she is trying to accomplish, and every album makes sense both as an individual unit and as a piece of the puzzle that is her overall career. Which seems to be exactly the opposite of Carrie, based on the common complaints I have seen regarding her latest work. Not to draw this out into a debate about Reba vs. Carrie. They have very obviously both earned their status as legends in their own right! But I just feel like, as an avid consumer of both ladies, there is never a question about what Reba is trying to accomplish, while there are always questions about what the heck Carrie is trying to accomplish š We can always approach Reba with expectations of consistency that are unfortunately unrealistic for Carrie (even looking back to Reba's 30s. Back when she was Carrie's current age, she was putting out career-best fan-favorite gems like Read My Mind).
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recordyear
Diamond Member
album listener
Joined: January 2017
Posts: 14,664
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Post by recordyear on Apr 8, 2022 20:05:18 GMT -5
Mark Bright and Dann Huff are both such relics. Obviously I can appreciate their prior work, but itās just dated at this point. Thereās a reason neither of them are working with anyone noteworthy anymore. Jay Joyce is way too overused. We know exactly how thatās going to sound, and Carrie already did it with Storyteller. Jack Antonoff....yeah, no thanks. I didn't care for what he did to DCX. Maybe co-writing more together. Greg Kurstin is a definite no for me based on Humble Quest. I donāt think he has any business producing country music actually. Iām happy with David Garcia. I think heās extremely talented and has range unlike any of her past collaborators. The fact that heās involved in everything from the Aerosmith rock of āCry Prettyā to the traditional roots of My Savior and now the 80s throwback of D&R is impressive. She can do anything she wants with him, and I can't say that about the rest. (Hope I didn't make the tangent go too far) All these producer talks and no mention of Daniel Tashian/Ian Fitchuk? They didn't only produce Kacey Musgraves' last two album but also the latest album by Little Big Town and Brett Eldredge, which are often regarded as artist's best.
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desertfloods
2x Platinum Member
Joined: July 2007
Posts: 2,430
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Post by desertfloods on Apr 8, 2022 20:25:32 GMT -5
And I do not want to see Mark Bright as a producer on her album again. It may have worked in earlier eras, but I am done with him always drowning her voice in loud production every album. It's not a coincidence that we get to see so much more of what she can do with her voice after she dropped Mark Bright. Maybe it's just me, but I felt that she has GOT to move forward and away from same old power vocals every album. Even I get tired of the same style as a long time fan, let alone casual listeners. I actually have a similar problem with Garcia that his production choices doesn't always put her voice in the center. Her vocals were far more overbearing when Bright was a producer but that's because his production style was equally overbearing. Most people became a fan of Carrie because of the power vocals and money notes. Even though critics have always had a problem with it and she seems to be changing that, it will still be a problem with fans because that is what most of them prefer(not me). In the case of her vocals, she can't really win. I am willing to bet that many of those early fans have moved on or hoping for something fresh. 17 years is a long time. Everyone changes, grows and evolves, even the fans' tastes. I was one of those money note fans in 2005. Now you can hardly find a song like that in my Spotify list. Artists can't be stuck in the same rut just to please a group of older fans. Time and time again, we have seen how artists fade off because they are churning out same old material. Unless, appealing to older CD/DVD crowd is Carrie's main aim and she is not interested in staying more relevant on radio, all these discussions about going back to her old styles (and old producers) just baffles me tbh.
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bigd79
Gold Member
Joined: February 2019
Posts: 802
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Post by bigd79 on Apr 8, 2022 21:18:55 GMT -5
Carrie will never be able to please everyone, no matter what she releases there are gonna be people who love it and others may not love it as much. Even with her biggest fans. I love Carrie but she has a few songs i donāt care for, its bound to happen. Luckily those are few and far between for me, otherwise i either love/really like/ or at least enjoy most of her songs to a certain extent, which is among the reasons why she is up there for favorite singers of all time for me. I try to always have an open mind for what she is releasing, the music business is one of the toughest things to be in, and i have way too much invested in these last 17 years to judge too harshly. I may not love ghost story, but i donāt hate it either. I do wish D&R was the lead as i am enjoying that one much more. Feels so much more immediate and something fun to hear on the radio, especially in the summer months. It would not shock me if the issue ends up getting forced, weāll have to see how well its connecting. I actually hope she does D&R for her CMT awards performance monday night! But will still root for ghost story if thats whats in the cards for these next few months.
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matty005
3x Platinum Member
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 3,413
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Post by matty005 on Apr 8, 2022 23:05:39 GMT -5
I am willing to bet that many of those early fans have moved on or hoping for something fresh. 17 years is a long time. Everyone changes, grows and evolves, even the fans' tastes. I was one of those money note fans in 2005. Now you can hardly find a song like that in my Spotify list. Artists can't be stuck in the same rut just to please a group of older fans. Time and time again, we have seen how artists fade off because they are churning out same old material. Unless, appealing to older CD/DVD crowd is Carrie's main aim and she is not interested in staying more relevant on radio, all these discussions about going back to her old styles (and old producers) just baffles me tbh. I think it's interesting the things that people choose to ignore. No one considers it's not her material, her label or her team that is the issue. No one ever considers radio's sexism. No one considers that her age might the issue with a lot of people(not a personal issue for me, sexism and ageism are not my thing).Ā There are so many things I would love for Carrie to be doing. I would love for her to have traditional country stuff that sounds like Victory In Jesus or a similar production to My Savior in general. I would love for her to tone down her vocals (which she has been doing as of late). I would love if we got the personal side and some in depth stories that were more first person narratives from the heart. I would love Kacey Musgrave/Miranda Lambert/Ashley Mcbryde/even Carly Pearce type mellow writing and production. If she is not that type of artist, that's fine. Neither was Shania Twain or Reba McEntire. Neither were pop artists like Madonna and Janet Jackson (for the most part). They were still successful, regardless. We are in a different time right now for country music in the past decade. No matter what she does, she unfortunately might never be successful in radio again and we have to be okay with it.Ā Plenty of people consider radioās sexism. In fact, I would say 99% of posters here consider that.
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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 Apr 8, 2022 23:06:40 GMT -5
Well I certailny didn't expect a country-as-hell song title like "Denim & Rhinestones" to sound like a disco song, lmfao. That said, I honestly kinda love it? But I am hoping that the album isn't devoid of neotraditional-leaning country songs because I do think she shines well on those and they've been few and far between for Carrie as of late.
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desertfloods
2x Platinum Member
Joined: July 2007
Posts: 2,430
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Post by desertfloods on Apr 8, 2022 23:13:57 GMT -5
I am willing to bet that many of those early fans have moved on or hoping for something fresh. 17 years is a long time. Everyone changes, grows and evolves, even the fans' tastes. I was one of those money note fans in 2005. Now you can hardly find a song like that in my Spotify list. Artists can't be stuck in the same rut just to please a group of older fans. Time and time again, we have seen how artists fade off because they are churning out same old material. Unless, appealing to older CD/DVD crowd is Carrie's main aim and she is not interested in staying more relevant on radio, all these discussions about going back to her old styles (and old producers) just baffles me tbh. I think it's interesting the things that people choose to ignore. No one considers it's not her material, her label or her team that is the issue. No one ever considers radio's sexism. No one considers that her age might the issue with a lot of people(not a personal issue for me, sexism and ageism are not my thing). There are so many things I would love for Carrie to be doing. I would love for her to have traditional country stuff that sounds like Victory In Jesus or a similar production to My Savior in general. I would love for her to tone down her vocals (which she has been doing as of late). I would love if we got the personal side and some in depth stories that were more first person narratives from the heart. I would love Kacey Musgrave/Miranda Lambert/Ashley Mcbryde/even Carly Pearce type mellow writing and production. If she is not that type of artist, that's fine. Neither was Shania Twain or Reba McEntire. Neither were pop artists like Madonna and Janet Jackson (for the most part). They were still successful, regardless. We are in a different time right now for country music in the past decade. No matter what she does, she unfortunately might never be successful in radio again and we have to be okay with it. Sexism and ageism is definitely around, but I don't like to blame it all on that because it's clear if the material is right, radio would still love to play her stuff. And her fanbase is still solid. I am ok if she doesn't want to chase radio airplay as much anymore (I don't even listen to radio anymore myself!). But as someone else pointed out earlier, if radio airplay doesn't matter to her anymore, take the route of producing quality long-lasting material instead. I feel that she still wants to have best of both but ends up probably not achieving the best results in both instead.
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