Some Hearts
CDuniverse.com-
Country purists may take offense at finding American Idol winner Carrie Underwood's debut album in the country section. An unabashedly manufactured commercial product, SOME HEARTS is the sound of mainstream country in the 2000s heavily steeped in glossy pop. There's nothing downhome or roots-conscious about Underwood's voice or looks: she's the pretty blonde next door with a fine singing voice, but the powers that be have made her a country artist, and that's what the public gets.
None of this is to say that SOME HEARTS is not a good pop album. The combination of Underwood's considerable gift and the slick, spot-on production of Dan Huff and Mark Bright makes for a fine package. Even on somewhat by-the-numbers tunes (like her smash hit "Inside Your Heaven"), Underwood sings with conviction, and she does well with both the ballads and the uptempo tracks. Idol viewers and fans of artists like Faith Hill and Shania Twain will want to check this out.
Amazon.com-
Would American Idol winner Carrie Underwood have landed a major-label recording contract without winning the hugely popular television contest? Probably. The big-voiced Oklahoman has the pipes, the look, the pedigree, and, most important, the emotional resonance to sustain a professional career. As an investment in her future, her label eschewed the easy path in putting out an album to take advantage of her publicity, going for a name producer, Dann Huff (Keith Urban, Faith Hill, Lonestar), to handle half the tracks. It also solicited material from the same top songwriters (Diane Warren, Brett James, Troy Verges, Rivers Rutherford) who stock albums by Hill, Martina McBride, Trisha Yearwood, and Wynonna. "Jesus, Take the Wheel," the hit first single, shows off the best of Underwood's power vocals, while the sexy rocker "We're Young and Beautiful" pulls her out of her ballad-heavy comfort zone, and her autobiographical "I Ain't in Checotah Anymore" bolsters her authenticity. If the young performer oversings on occasion (the overwrought bonus track, "Inside Your Heaven"), and settles for too many generic themes, she still surprises in her ability to go head-to-head with country’s reigning females. Will Underwood really survive to be a contender for the Martina throne? Let's just say that American Idol judges and voters picked the right contestant. If the posturing Bo Bice had won, rock stars would hardly be quaking in their boots. --Alanna Nash
Artistdirect.com-
Given the tightly controlled nature of American Idol, it's a wonder that the televised talent contest has never produced a winner who specialized in country music, since there's no segment of modern popular music that is controlled tighter than contemporary country. Maybe this thought was in the minds of Simon Fuller and the rest of AmIdol's 19 management when they went into their fourth season in 2005, since as soon as fresh-faced Oklahoma blonde Carrie Underwood showed up in the audition rounds, the judges -- alright, specifically Simon Cowell -- pigeonholed her as a country singer, even if there was nothing specifically country about her sweet, friendly voice. From that point on, she was not only the frontrunner, but anointed as the show's first country winner, which apparently proved more enticing to the voters and the producers than the prospect of the show's first rock & roll winner in the guise of the Southern-fried hippie throwback Bo Bice. Which makes sense: cute, guileless young girls have a broader appeal than hairy 30-somethings. They're easier to sell and mold too, and Underwood proved particularly ideal in this regard since she was a blank slate, possessing a very good voice and an unthreatening prettiness that would be equally marketable and likeable in either country or pop. So, the powers that be decided that Underwood would be a contemporary country singer in the vein of Faith Hill -- she'd sing anthemic country pop, ideal for either country or adult contemporary radio, with none of the delightful tackiness of Shania Twain -- and her debut album, Some Hearts, not only hits this mark exactly, it's better than either album Hill has released since Breathe in 1999.
Which isn't to say that Carrie Underwood is as compelling or as distinctive as a personality or vocalist as Faith Hill: Underwood is still developing her own style and, for as good a singer as she is, she doesn't have much of a persona beyond that of the girl next door made good. But that's enough to make Some Hearts work, since she's surrounded by professionals, headed by producers Mark Bright and Dann Huff, who know how to exploit that persona effectively. While some of the songs drift a little bit toward the generic, especially in regard to the adult contemporary ballads, most of the material is slick, sturdy, and memorable, delivered with conviction by Underwood. She sounds equally convincing on such sentimental fare as "Jesus, Take the Wheel" as on the soaring pop "Some Hearts," and even if she doesn't exactly sound tough on the strutting "Before He Cheats," she does growl with a fair amount of passion. In fact, the worst thing here is her chart-topping post-American Idol hit "Inside Your Heaven," which is as formulaic as the mainstream country-pop that comprises the rest of Some Hearts, but with one crucial difference: the formula doesn't work, the song is too sappy and transparent, the arrangement too cold. On the rest of Some Hearts, everything clicks -- the production is warm, the tunes inoffensive but ingratiating, it straddles the country and pop worlds with ease, and most importantly, it's every bit as likeable as Carrie was on American Idol. Which means that even if she's not nearly as sassy or charismatic as Kelly Clarkson -- she's not as spunky as Nashville Star finalist Miranda Lambert, for that matter -- Carrie Underwood has delivered the best post-AmIdol record since Clarkson's debut. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
EZ-tracks.com-
The Some Hearts album from Carrie Underwood presents a truly credible country album without the American Idol aspect attached, which may mark the first American Idol debut to officially shed that image. Carrie's debut is just as expected-a country set that has some pop sensibilities. The emphasis is on “some” because for the most part, this album will appeal to those who loved Carrie on American Idol as well as those who love a good country album. Carrie sounds like she's been doing this her whole life and has been given a shot at the big time. She sounds very natural throughout the album
Associatedcontent.com-
Carrie Underwood has won the American Idol on its fourth season. As Simon Cowell predicted, she will sell albums. Although she is not as famous as Kelly Clarkson, she is already on her way there. Some people were asking, would Carrie Underwood land a recording contract if she has not won the American Idol? Well probably yes! Carrie has good looks and a big voice of an Oklahoman. Moreover, this girl has that genuine passion in all her performances; these qualities have helped her reach out to her fans.
Carrie's debut album entitled Some Hearts under Artista Record offers an authentic country music. This album will appeal to those who love Underwood. It features slick production, driving guitars and Carrie singing to a high E.
Album Review: The album has fourteen tracks. "Wasted" which is the opening track, can grab the attention of the listeners with her pure register and a well written collection. The second track, which is "Don't Forget to Remember Me", is not a bad track though it reduces the heightened energy made by "Wasted". Some Hearts album was drawn back into full turn by the touching single "Jesus Take the Wheel", which is accompanied by electric guitar arrangement, stunning piano and string. "Before He Cheats" made use of some grit in Carrie's pure voice and mixed sound with a bluesy production. The selections "I Ain't in Checotah No More" and "Whenever You Remember" are also noteworthy. "Starts with Goodbye" and "We're Young and Beautiful" also give important impact to the album.
Overall: I don't like and love country music, thus this is not the right music for me; nonetheless, I and the other listeners can and will still enjoy the album. The advantages are the variations on some songs; it is enjoyable to hear some country songs and pop music mixed together. Another advantage is Carrie Underwood's ability to hit high notes and lastly, the album has guitars, strings, piano, in other words, it has a deep instrumental that makes every track full.
Carnival Ride
CDuniverse.com-