ALBUM REVIEW: Carrie Underwood's Blown Away enjoyable, but needs more
Having sold 22 million singles and 14 million albums worldwide, Carrie Underwood can justifiably be called one of the biggest names in country music.
Her fourth studio album, Blown Away, has the same lifeblood that made her previous three albums hits, making it teeter a thin line between being an enjoyable, tried-and-true formula and starting to feel just a bit stale.
One can’t deny how Underwood manages to remain as catchy as ever on songs like the album’s lead single and first track, “Good Girl.” The song’s chorus showcases her vocal prowess, and will likely stay in many a country lover’s head for the start of the summer. It’s hard to deny, however, it’s lyrically and stylistically a rehash of Underwood’s 2009 single “Cowboy Casanova.”
An attachment to more upbeat tempos becomes a plague to songs with good writing that would stand out with less repetitive stylistic choices. “Blown Away” and “Two Black Cadillacs,” for example, would have been better matched with darker, slower and more moody production.
This isn’t to say all of the upbeat tracks on Blown Away are bad or even feel reused. “Cupid’s Got A Shotgun” is fun and engaging with the addition of Brad Paisley’s guitar instrumentals. “One Way Ticket” stands out with its bright Calypso influence. “Do You Think About Me” has a sweet, nostalgic feel as it reflects on an old flame.
All of the album’s ballads showcase Underwood’s vocal strength, though as with the up-tempo songs, many feel like they’re what listeners have heard from Underwood and other country singers many times before. While listeners get a song like “Wine After Whiskey,” which manages to hit just the right level of bittersweet, they also get cuts like the album closer “Who Are You,” a pale imitation of Underwood’s previous “Jesus, Take the Wheel” that sounds unsure if it’s referring to God or a boyfriend.
“Blown Away” isn’t a terrible album, but in so many places it showcases missed opportunities where songs that are merely decent or OK, could have become something much greater. The album as a whole will probably be a good listen for country fans in the warm weather, but it doesn’t seem likely to stand out as one of the crowning achievements of Underwood’s career or current country music.
Underwood has the vocal chops to pull off legendary country music; hopefully she will come closer to it with future efforts.
Artist: Carrie Underwood
Album: Blown Away
Genre: Country
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
