Blown away by Carrie

Blown Away Carrie Underwood Sony Music

COUNTRY’S biggest star Carrie Underwood’s fourth album Blown Away is riding high on the US Billboard’s Top Country & All-Genre 200 albums sales chart. And for good reason. As with most country n’ western songs, the stories are engaging.

Underwood, a five-time Grammy winner, has co-written some of the songs including the rocking opener, Good Girl, and Two Black Cadillacs.

I particularly liked the revenge theme in Two Black Cadillacs. The song, with a simple chord melody except for the chorus, is about the two loves of a cheating husband: “They decided then he’d never get away for doing this to them/ Two black cadillacs waiting for the ride down, ride down.”

The title track is about child abuse, while the sweetest is the simple Thank God For Hometowns with the chorus: “And when you’re lost in this crazy world/ You got somewhere to go and get found/ Thank God for hometowns.”
The bluegrass feel, aided by the mandolin, in Do You Think About Me, makes for a pleasant melody but the stadium pleaser is the reggae-flavoured One Way Ticket with a catchy “ehh” shout.

Blown Away, with 14 tracks, is filled with pleasant tunes to get through the Monday morning blues.

Since releasing Some Hearts in 2005, Carrie has sold more than 14 million albums with 2007’s Carnival Ride, and 2009’s Play On. She is the best-selling American Idol winner in the US.

TRESPASSING
Adam Lambert
Sony Music

THE second album, Trespassing, from American Idol  Season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert is seriously worth the listen from start to finish. This follow-up to his 2009 debut For Your Entertainment is packed with 15 upbeat pop and pop-rock tracks. Lambert wrote all but two of them, offering his thoughts on relationships and survival.

From the opener to the end of this deluxe edition, Lambert showcases sterling vocals.

The music runs through electro-pop (Trespassing, Kickin’ In), funk (Shady), house and pop-rock ballads (Outlaws, Nirvana and Underneath).

The imagery evoked by Lambert’s lyrics are interesting. For example, while hitting the highs in the clubber sweetheart track Kickin’ In, Lambert sings: “She wants to be up there/ in the air where the clouds live/ the sweetest seeds make the best trees.”

Vocally, Lambert is unique in today’s crop of singers. I would have preferred if the pop-ballad Underneath were stripped down throughout the song with just the piano, as in the start, to better showcase his crystal clear voice.

The melody in the track, Running, is reminiscent of the pop-rock of the 1980s.

Here, Lambert displays his low register while hitting the octaves somewhere in the middle just to jolt us into remembering why he was memorable on the TV reality vocal contest.

I could keep Running on the repeat button for a few times.

DJ Station 5
Various Artistes
Warner Music

CURRENT hits gets a remix lift in this two-CD album of 16 songs. It’s all upbeat with Adele’s Set Fire To The Rain remixed by Thomas Gold, Jason Derulo’s Don’t Wanna Go Home (Club Junkies club remix), Katy Perry’s E.T. (Tiesto radio remix), Sean Kingston’s Party All Night (Smash Mode extended club mix) and Malaysia’s dance favourite Pitbull’s Bon Bon (radio edit), among others.

From R&B and funk, to pop and disco, mix up the mood with these remixes.

Bob Marley And The Wailers
(Original Soundtrack)
Universal Music

THIS 2-CD “original soundtrack” album comprises reggae icon Bob Marley’s hits. The 25 songs span the career of Marley, inspired by the movie, Marley. So, the album lets you follow his musical journey from his early days to his final recordings.

Included are classic studio recordings, rare and live cuts. The live recordings include I Shot The Sheriff and No Woman No Cry (both from the Lyceum Theatre in London) and Jammin from the One Love Peace Concert performance in

Jamaica (1978). This is the first time the Jammin’ performance is released on record.

While some legendary songs are not included, like Buffalo Soldier, I think this album will renew fans’ appreciation of this artiste. Also released is a special 3-LP vinyl set.

If you are new to Marley, this album is a good start.
 

 

 

1 / 2