After two years, Carrie Underwood finally unleashes her latest album Play On. The album features 13 tracks including the current country smash "Cowboy Casanova" and promotional singles "Mama's Song," "Temporary Home" and "Undo It."
Writing credits include Hillary Lindsey, Luke Laird, Max Martin, Kara DioGuardi, Raine Maida, Chantal Kreviazuk and Carrie herself among others.
Links to purchase the aforementioned can be found below:
Albums
Carrie Underwood, Play On
Amazon.com - ($9.99) - Buy
Amazon MP3 - ($8.99) - Buy
Barnes & Noble - ($9.99) - Buy
Best Buy - ($9.99) - Buy
Buy.com - ($12.97) - Buy
CDUniverse - ($11.18) - Buy
CMT Shop - ($13.98) - Buy
iTunes - ($10.99) - Buy
Sears - ($10.79) - Buy
Walmart - ($13.88) - Buy
The only version of Play On that includes bonus material of any sort is the iTunes version, which includes the pre-order bonus track "O Holy Night," which was previously available on a Walmart edition of Carrie's second album Carnival Ride that was released last fall.
Showing posts with label mama's song. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mama's song. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Out today: Carrie Underwood's 'Play On'
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Album review: Carrie Underwood's 'Play On'
Fresh off another multi-platinum-selling record, proven country luminary Carrie Underwood delivers her most artistically viable package in ‘Play On.’ Although it is not as commercially friendly as her two previous albums, ‘Play On’ serves as a crucial maturing point in Underwood’s career.
Play On will be released on Tues., Nov. 3, and can now be pre-ordered on Amazon.com.
‘Play On’ is a more tried and true country offering than Underwood’s previous albums, and everything from the instrumentation to the lyrical material reflects this. Producer Mark Bright is responsible for a large portion of the album’s diversity, but Underwood’s unique touch plays an equal role.
Kicking the disc off with the up-tempo “Cowboy Casanova,” Underwood signals that she means business. The scorned woman-themed country rock track includes staccato phrases in the verses that show off her ability to tell a stylized story through her vocals. This is not the only track where she dabbles in this subject, however, as the Kara DioGuardi co-penned “Undo It” strikes a similar chord.
The majority of ‘Play On’ is more relaxed and “back roads country,” though, especially seen in tracks like “Someday When I Stop Loving You” and “Look At Me.” These songs are Opry-certified and definitely appeal to the country music fan of yesterday.
At the same time, there are plenty of cuts that appeal to Underwood’s younger fans like “This Time” and “Unapologize.” The former is a radio-friendly track features poppy instrumentation and a universal theme of an ode to youthfulness in its lyrics (“Life is short / love is sweet / ain’t no time like this time baby”). The latter is a mid-tempo boasting writing credits by Raine Maida and wife Chantal Kreviazuk that allows Underwood to explore a deep, tender area without coming off as another Louisville slugger-wielding maniac.
Some light-hearted fare includes the self-conscious “Quitter,” which Max Martin had a hand in writing, and “Songs Like This,” which delivers a short but salty message to guys that have made things difficult for Underwood in some way.
One of the most heartfelt tracks on the album is “Change,” which presents listeners with moral dilemmas and confronts people with the notion that anyone can make a difference in this world. The rousing bridge is one of the liveliest moments of the album and Underwood’s vocals are remarkably controlled. “Mama’s Song” is another touching lyrical offering even though the overall product is slightly boring.
But the most beautiful song on ‘Play On’ (and quite possibly Underwood’s career to date) comes eighth on the track list. “Temporary Home” is effective not only because of its simple production and tender vocals, but for its emotional lyrics as well (“This is my temporary home / it’s not where I belong / windows and rooms / that I’m passing through / this is just a stop / on the way to where I‘m going / I’m not afraid because I know / this is my temporary home”). This is the song that will win Underwood her most deserved Grammy.
On “What Can I Say,” Underwood gets a little help from Sons of Sylvia, resulting in an affectionate duet with perfectly complementary vocals. The song does a great job allowing Underwood to reach into her falsetto and display her stunning range.
To close out the album, Underwood selects its title track to tie all the diverse ends together. The message etched in the track’s lyrics is applicable to any situation in life (“Play on / when you’re losing the game / play on / cause you’re gonna make mistakes / it’s always worth a sacrifice / even when you think you’re wrong / so play on”).
Sometimes when an artist has a good thing going, it doesn’t hurt to stick on a path. Carrie Underwood demonstrates this admirably, and despite some minor imperfections, ‘Play On’ is a fusion of old time country with new styles to result in an eclectic collection for all ages.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
'Idol' Hot 100: "Already Gone" #17 (11/7/09)
For the second consecutive week, Carrie Underwood saw one of her tracks debut on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. For the Nov. 7 edition of the chart, Carrie's single "Temporary Home" was joined by a debut from Adam Lambert.
Leading the Idol crew once again was Kelly Clarkson's "Already Gone," which reached a new peak at #17. This single is now Kelly's 10th-highest charting single to grace the Hot 100.
Next up was Carrie's "Cowboy Casanova," which dipped two spots to #21. The country star's debut of "Temporary Home" at #92 was a little weaker than the debut of single "Mama's Song" on last week's chart (#77).
And Adam's "Time For Miracles" hit the halfway mark at #50 in its maiden voyage. Look for the song to drop off the chart next week.
Full chart positions courtesy of bks over on Pulse are posted below:
Hot 100
17 20 Kelly Clarkson, "Already Gone"
21 19 Carrie Underwood, "Cowboy Casanova"
50 -- Adam Lambert, "Time For Miracles"
92 -- Carrie Underwood, "Temporary Home"
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
'Idol' Hot 100: "Cowboy Casanova" #19 (10/31/09)
Another Carrie Underwood single debuted on Billboard's Hot 100 chart for the chart week of Oct. 31.
Although it didn't debut on the chart this week, Carrie's "Cowboy Casanova" fought its way back into the Top 20, improving one spot to #19. This displaced the previous week's Idol leading track, Kelly Clarkson's "Already Gone," which slipped one spot to #20 despite retaining its bullet.
Carrie also saw her single "Mama's Song" debut on the chart at #77. And Daughtry's "No Surprise" was down three spot to #49, hanging onto a spot in the Top 50 for one more week.
Full chart positions courtesy of bks over on Pulse are posted below:
Hot 100
19 20 Carrie Underwood, "Cowboy Casanova"
20 19 Kelly Clarkson, "Already Gone"
49 46 Daughtry, "No Surprise"
77 -- Carrie Underwood, "Mama's Song"
Digital sales roundup: "Cowboy Casanova" #18 (10/31/09)
It was another healthy week for tracks by Idol alums on the most recent edition of Billboard's Hot Digital Songs chart.
Kicking things off was Carrie Underwood's current single "Cowboy Casanova," which was up 6% in sales to 56.7k downloads. Positive movement was reflected in its chart ranking, as it improved four spots to #18. It has now sold 286.5k to date.
Another song by Carrie, "Mama's Song," came in behind at #43 thanks to a first week take of 31.3k. This was the first of three digital releases that will precede the release of Carrie's latest album Play On (Nov. 3).
Kelly Clarkson's "Already Gone" continued to hold steady, as it sold another 46.1k, down only 2%, for a total of 526.8k. The single has now passed the gold certification threshold and advanced #26-25 on the chart.
And a surprise bonus sample of Idol sales data came from Jordin Sparks' two-year-old duet with Chris Brown "No Air" at #195. Boosted in part thanks to the release of the latter's new single, "No Air" officially passed the triple platinum mark. Upon selling 7.4k for a total of 3.009 million, it appears this is the highest-selling Idol-related digital single to date.
Full numbers and chart positions courtesy of bks on Pulse as follows:
018 022 Carrie Underwood, "Cowboy Casanova" 56,723 6% 53,687 286,462
025 026 Kelly Clarkson, "Already Gone" 46,106 -2% 47,040 526,755
043 --- Carrie Underwood, "Mama's Song" 31,323 999% 0 31,323
195 --- Jordin Sparks, "No Air" (ft. Chris Brown) 7,396 114% 3,461 3,009,168
Total sales are in bold.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Track review: Carrie Underwood's "Mama's Song"
The story of a daughter calming her mother’s nerves about her new love takes center stage on “Mama’s Song,” Carrie Underwood’s latest track to be released ahead of the country superstar’s third album, ‘Play On’ (Nov. 3).
"Mama's Song" is now available to purchase on iTunes for $1.29.
Co-written by Underwood and Kara DioGuardi among others, “Mama’s Song” is a nice little country tune that allows for simple, pure vocals and limited production to result in the most pleasurable listening experience possible. The song itself, however, comes off sounding a little too similar to Underwood’s 2006 Top 2 single “Don’t Forget to Remember Me,” which is a superior song.
Despite lazy feeling, lyrics are strong on the whole, as Underwood is able to offer sincerity on the topic (And I know you watched me grow up and only want what’s best for me / And I think I found the answer to your prayers). Putting aside the artistic sentimentality found here, the song is boring compared to her recent efforts and is not as strong as her previous ballads.
Still, it’s hard for Carrie Underwood to sound bad, and “Mama’s Song” carries a positive feeling with it that makes up for other areas that aren’t as noteworthy.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Out today: David Archuleta's 'Christmas From the Heart'
David Archuleta is the second Idol runner-up to release an album within two weeks. He is, however, the first alum to release a Christmas album for the 2009 season in Christmas From the Heart. Although Christmas seems like an eternity away, it is not uncommon to see music for the holiday season appear on store shelves in mid-October. Christmas is being released on behalf of Jive Records, Arch's label.
Also out today is Carrie Underwood's single "Mama's Song," available at iTunes as part of the countdown to Carrie's third studio album, Play On, which is due out Tues., Nov. 3.
And Brooke White's Live Session (iTunes Exclusive) EP featuring live versions of songs like "Radio Radio," "Hold Up My Heart" and "Rhiannon" was added to the juggernaut digital music retailer.
Links to purchase the aforementioned can be found below:
Albums
David Archuleta, Christmas From the Heart
Amazon.com - ($9.99) - Buy
Amazon MP3 - ($9.99) - Buy
Barnes & Noble - ($11.98) - Buy
Best Buy - ($9.99) - Buy
Buy.com - ($10.98) - Buy
CDUniverse.com - ($11.18) - Buy
iTunes - ($9.99) - Buy
Sears - ($10.79) - Buy
Target - ($13.99) - Buy
Walmart - ($12.88) - Buy
Singles
Carrie Underwood, "Mama's Song"
iTunes - ($1.29) - Buy
EPs
Brooke White, Live Session (iTunes Exclusive)
iTunes - ($4.95) - Buy
For those who are on the fence as to whether or not they should purchase it, Arch's album can now be streamed in full on AOL Music.
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