I have made slight revisions to this post after seeing Martina in concert 6/13/2012 and listening to the CD a bit more. Parts of it have grown on me, parts of it I still hold my original feelings . . .
I have been a fan of Martina McBride for at least 10 years now and she is awesome and I love her. However . . . her latest album just came out last week and it is taking a long time to grow on me. I’m not sure it ever will . . . not sure it’s something I’ll crave listening to. That’s how I know when a CD is really good, when I can’t get the songs out of my head and I can’t wait to listen to it again.
Apparently, she has been writing songs and co-wrote most of the songs on the album. Well, I’m wondering if she should stop writing and concentrate on what she does best: sing. There are two main problems with the songs on here:
First, there is not enough new. A lot of the songs sound like other songs she has already done.
Second, the writing is often bland, not descriptive enough, and uninteresting. I really enjoy songs that have clever lyrics, descriptions that make you feel something. These lyrics don’t have enough to say.
Here is a brief review of the songs on the CD.
One Night – This could be a really awesome, fun, rocking song and was a great way to kick off the June concert referenced above. The one thing I don’t like is that parts of it are too similar to “Ride” from her last CD. There’s a part where she sings the word “Sky” with exactly the same melodic descent as “Ride.” It’s a shame cause it ruins the song a bit for me.
Always Be This Way – This has a sort of reggae beat, which is a little odd. The song is kind of catchy and sweet, though a little saccharine.
I’m Gonna Love You Through It – This is a tear-jerker about a woman with breast cancer. It’s her “statement song” on the CD. During the concert, she dedicated it to "The Survivors" and that simple dedication really made me admire her for always taking on tough issues.
Marry Me – This is a remake of Train’s song, which I adore. I don’t love her singing it. However, the end is cool when she duets with Pat Monahan, who I love, love, love. But more of the song should have been a duet.
Broken Umbrella – This song is full of horns and sounds very old-fashioned and boring. What is she doing with adult contemporary??? It’s so awful, saccharine, blech! I still felt that way during the concert, this was my bathroom break song.
You Can Get Your Loving Right Here – This is supposed to be her “sexy” song but again the horns! Not a big fan of this song.
Whatcha Gonna Do – This song kind of evokes the feel of "Whatever You Say" from years ago. It's a pretty good song about a relationship (man) that can never make up its mind. Are we on or off? Boy do I understand that. I love the sarcastic “whatever” in this song.
Teenage Daughters – This was already a radio hit. It is a pretty clever song, especially if you have teenage daughters.
Summer of Love – This is about a summer romance, and she wanted to evoke a “Strawberry Wine” feel here, and I originally felt it didn't quite work but the song has grown on me. I would have liked to see her perform it to see how she delivered it, but she didn't sing it.
When You Love a Sinner – This song title and melody have the potential to be interesting, but I originally thought the song didn't say quite enough to make you feel. Not sure I was right on that call. It has some good lyrics in it, but I want to know more of the story behind it. She’s been with her husband for like 20 years so obviously and hopefully it’s not about him.
Long Distance Lullaby – This is actually a beautiful song to her family when she’s on the road.
You’re in My House Now – Has the potential to be a sassy song, but there are like two measures in each verse where she goes "la la la la, la la la la, la la la la la la," like she just forgot the words or was too lazy to write them. WTF?
Closing Time – It’s an interesting concept, likening closing time at a bar to the end of the relationship. It evokes an old-fashion country feel. But I feel like it was better live as one of the closing songs--on the CD it's a bit too slow.
Ask the Boy – WTF? This song makes no sense. I originally thought I didn't like it cause I didn't know what was being asked of the boy, but in listening to it several times, what bothered me is that she switches tenses in the song. She talks about "me" in relation to the boy, but they says something like "if you just ask the boy." Who is the you?? What happened to me? That part really makes no sense. The melody is kind of interesting, so if it made a bit more sense, it could have been better.
I Give It to You – The first word was Jesus. Enough said. Fast forward and the CD is finished. Bummer.
No comments:
Post a Comment