Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride CD

Carnival Ride songs For a period in the early 1990s, Garth Brooks was not only the biggest star in country music, he was one of the biggest stars in music, period. An unassuming Oklahoman who fused the blue-collar ethic of new traditionalist country with an unapologetic pop side that drew on his love of 1970s rockers like Kiss and Billy Joel, Garth Brooks fundamentally changed the sound of mainstream country music in much the same way that Hank Williams had in the 1940s and Patsy Cline had in the 1950s. THE ULTIMATE HITS, a three-disc collection that is the first comprehensive career overview for Brooks, contains all of his most beloved songs in remastered sound, plus four brand-new songs and a bonus DVD containing all of Brooks's music videos. Recording information: Jack's Tracks Recording Studio, Nashville, TN; Javelina Studios, Nashville, TN; Sound Emporium, Nashville, TN; Sound Station, Nashville, TN.

Carnival Ride buy CD music 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. Carrie Underwood: Dann Huff (electric guitar); Mike Johnson (steel guitar); Daniel Smith (cello); Jimmie Lee Sloas (bass instrument); Chris McHugh, Alyssa Park, Eric Darken, Julian Hallmark, Matthew Funes, Hillary Lindsey, Joel Derouin, Adam Steffey, Lonnie Wilson, Matt Rollings, Paul Franklin , Sid Page, Suzie Katayama, Wes Hightower, Roberto Cani, Larry Corbett, Biff Watson, J.T. Corenflos, Steve Nathan, Jonathan Yudkin, Tom Bukovac, Jim VanCleve, Steve Richards , Perry Coleman, Michael Markman, Josefina Vergara, Michele Richards, Susan Chatman, Bryan Sutton, Morgane Hayes, Charles Judge, Mario Diaz de Leon, Endre Granat, Tereza Stanislav, Denyse Buffum, Andrew Duckles, Shanti Randall. Personnel: Carrie Underwood (background vocals); Biff Watson, Bryan Sutton (acoustic guitar); Dan Huff, J.T. Corenflos, Tom Bukovac (electric guitar); Gary Morse, Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Jonathan Yudkin (dobro, banjo, mandolin, violin, fiddle, viola, cello, strings); Adam Steffey (mandolin); Alyssa Park, Julian Hallmark, Matthew Funes, Joel Derouin, Sid Page, Roberto Cani, Michael Markman, Josefina Vergara, Michele Richards, Susan Chatman, Mario Diaz de Leon, Endre Granat, Tereza Stanislav, Denyse Buffum, Andrew Duckles, Shanti Randall (violin); Jim VanCleve (fiddle); Suzie Katayama, Larry Corbett, Steve Richards (cello); Matt Rollings (piano); Charles Judge (keyboards, programming); Steve Nathan (keyboards); Chris McHugh, Lonnie Wilson, Shannon Forrest (drums); Eric Darken (percussion); Hillary Lindsey, Lisa Cochran, Neil Thrasher, Wes Hightower, Perry Coleman, Morgane Hayes (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Derek Bason; Justin Niebank; Serban Ghenea. Recording information: Blackbird Studios, Nashville, TN; Capitol Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA; Electrokitty Recording, Seattle, WA; Sound Stage Studios, Nashville, TN; Starstruck, Nashville, TN; The Gentlemen's Club; The Plant Recording Studios, Sausalito, CA; The Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA; The Sound Kitchen, Nashville, TN; The Village, Los Angeles, CA. Photographer: Andrew Southam. Arranger: Harry "Slick" Sommerdahl.

Carnival Ride CD music Taylor Swift abandons any pretense that she's a teen on her second album, FEARLESS--which isn't to say that she suddenly tarts herself up, running away from her youth in a manner that's all too familiar to many teen stars. Swift's maturation is deliberate and careful, styled after the crossover country-pop of Shania Twain and Faith Hill before they turned into divas. Despite the success of her self-titled 2006 debut, there's nothing at all diva-like about Swift on FEARLESS: she's soft-spoken and considerate, a big sister instead of a big star. Nowhere is this truer than on "Fifteen," a kind warning for a teen to watch her heart sung from the perspective of a woman who's perhaps twice that age--a sly trick for the 18-year-old Swift. There may be a hint of youthfulness to her singing but that's the only hint of girlishness here; her writing--and she had a hand in penning all 13 tracks here, with six of them bearing her solitary credit--is sharply, subtly crafted and the music is softly assured, never pushing its hooks too hard. Like many country-pop albums of the 2000s, the pop heavily outweighs the country--there aren't fiddles here, there are violins--yet the production never feels garish, a crass attempt at a crossover success. It's small-scale and sweetly tuneful, always seeming humble even when the power ballads build to a big close. Swift's gentle touch is as enduring as her songcraft, and this musical maturity may not quite jibe with her age but it does help make FEARLESS one of the best mainstream pop albums of 2008. Arranger: Jonathan Yudkin. Personnel: Taylor Swift (vocals, guitar); Nathan Chapman (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, keyboards); Bryan Sutton (acoustic guitar, mandolin); Grant Mickelson, Kenny Greenberg (electric guitar); Ilya Toshinsky (banjo); Claire Indie (cello); Tony Harrell (piano, Hammond b-3 organ, keyboards); Tim Lauer (keyboards); Eric Darken (vibraphone); Tim Marks, Amos Heller (bass guitar). Audio Mixer: Justin Niebank.

Carnival Ride album for sale Daisy in her hair aside, Carrie Underwood looks flat-out glamorous on the cover of PLAY ON, which is a pretty fair indication of what awaits listeners on her third album. Carrie is still nominally a country artist and sometimes will sing supported by fiddles and steel guitar, but this is crossover pop pure and simple, whether it's the thundering rhythms on the Shania-styled strut "Cowboy Casanova" or the succession of maudlin melodies on the preponderance of power ballads. Carrie takes a much stronger presence as a writer here, co-authoring seven of the 13 songs, and she's attracted to hookless showstoppers designed to showcase her powerful voice. When she sticks to tunes written solely by the professionals, PLAY ON does have some slick pleasures, particularly on the breezy "Quitter" and "This Time," songs built on solid melodies and delivered without flash, relying on craft and Carrie's considerable small-town charm. Liner Note Authors: Judy Forde-Blair; Judy Forde Blair. Recording information: Fab Music; Germano Studios, New York, NY; Maratone Studios, Stockholm, Sweden; Starstruck Studios, Nashville, TN; Starstruck, Nashville, TN. Photographer: Matthew Rolston. Personnel: Carrie Underwood (background vocals); Tom Bukovac (guitar, electric guitar, piano); Jon Graboff (guitar, steel guitar); Shellback (guitar); Ilya Toshinsky (acoustic guitar, banjo, bouzouki, mandolin); Ashley Clark (acoustic guitar); Jerry McPherson, Kenny Greenberg (electric guitar); Mike Johnson (steel guitar); Austin Clark (lap steel guitar); Jonathan Yudkin (mandolin, violin, viola, cello, strings); Adam Clark, Aubrey Haynie (mandolin); Connie Ellisor, Karen Winkelmann, Dave Angell, Stefan Petrescu, Janet Darnall, Mary Kathryn Van Osdale, Bruce Wethey, Carl Gorodetzky, Pamela Sixfin, David Davidson , Alan Umstead, Catherine Umstead (violin); Bruce Christensen, Betsy Lamb, Kristin Wilkinson, Jim Grosjean, Monisa Angell (viola); Julie Tanner, Anthony LaMarchina, Carole Rabinowitz-Neuen (cello); The Nashville String Machine (strings); Samuel B. Levine, Samuel B. Levine (flute); Lee Levine (clarinet); Beth Beeson, Jennifer Kummer (French horn); Chris Stevens, Chris Stevens (keyboards, programming); Max Martin , Jimmy Nichols, Charles Judge (keyboards); Chris McHugh, Shannon Forrest (drums); Eric Darken (percussion); Chris Ashburn, Aaron Kasdorf, Kirsten Wines , Tristan Brock-Jones, Kerri P. Edwards, Nathan Dickinson, Kelly King, Josh Fulmer, Karrie Hardwick, Tim Hunze, Shawn Daughtry, Hillary Lindsey, Lisa Cochran, Vince Gill, Wes Hightower, Perry Coleman, Brett James (background vocals). Audio Mixer: Derek Bason.

Carnival Ride CD music Three years after the release of their breakthrough smash FEELS LIKE TODAY, STILL FEELS GOOD continues the winning streak of Nashville trio Rascal Flatts. Although their music is rooted in traditional bluegrass and the pure harmonies of the first wave of country bands from the Carter Family to the Stanley Brothers, STILL FEELS GOOD ranges even further afield of those roots than their previous work. "Bob That Head," a flirtation with country rap along the lines of Big and Rich, and the R&B smoothness of "She Goes All the Way" (which features a guest vocal by actor and singer Jamie Foxx) are the most pop-oriented songs on the album. Elsewhere, "Help Me Remember" and "No Reins" work the power ballad angle of Bon Jovi's country crossover LOST HIGHWAY, and "Winner At A Losing Game" and "Secret Smile" are the album's most traditional country tunes. all begins when the lights go down. For Gary LeVox, Joe Don Rooney and Jay DeMarcus, it has been that way since they were playing for a handful of people in a club in Nashville's Printers Alley. These days, of course, they play for thousands of screaming fans a night, drawn by state-of-the-art production and sound, and by spectacular vocal harmonies in service to an ever-expanding catalogue of hits. In between, it was the magic of those performances that catapulted Rascal Flatts into the front ranks of entertainers in all genres. By any measure, Rascal Flatts is in elite territory. They are the reigning 2006 CMA, ACM and CMT Vocal Group of the Year. In 2005 they added Billboard and R&R Artist of the Year trophies as well. The trio also picked up its first three Grammy nominations in 2005, and their "Bless The Broken Road" received the Grammy for Country Song of the Year. Coming off the biggest selling artist album of 2006, Rascal Flatts is geared up for their brand new album coming on September 25. Recording information: Blackbird Studios, Nashville, TN; Capitol Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA; Ocean Way Nashville; The Sound Kitchen, Nashville, TN. Photographer: Chapman Baehler. Note: STILL FEELS GOOD was also released in a special limited edition two-disc package that included a bonus DVD. Personnel: Dann Huff (acoustic guitar, acoustic 12-string guitar, electric guitar, banjo, bouzouki, mandolin); Joe Don Rooney (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Tom Bukovac (electric guitar); Dan Dugmore, Paul Franklin , Bruce Bouton (steel guitar); Charles Judge (lap steel guitar, strings, piano, organ, keyboards, synthesizer, percussion, programming, loops); Jonathan Yudkin (mandolin, fiddle); Alyssa Park, John Wittenberg, Alan Grunfeld, Ken Yerke, Julian Hallmark, Natalie Leggett, Josefina Vergara, Michele Richards, Charlie Bisharat (violin); Roland Kato (viola); Timothy Landauer, Suzie Katayama, Larry Corbett (cello); Gordon Mote (piano, keyboards); Jay DeMarcus (piano); Tony Harrell (keyboards); Chris McHugh (drums); Eric Darken (percussion). Audio Mixer: Justin Niebank.

Carnival Ride buy CD music There are few career paths more difficult to navigate one's way out of than child star. Just like their more publicized counterparts in the acting field, singers who make their first major splash before reaching adulthood have a high probability of either becoming a punch line or, perhaps even worse, a non-entity by the time they're old enough to drink. Country star LeAnn Rimes has successfully reinvented herself at the age of 25 with FAMILY, the culmination of her attempt to refashion herself away from the image of the 13-year-old cowgirl who first hit the pop charts in the mid-1990s. For the first time, Rimes wrote or co-wrote all 12 songs on FAMILY (some limited editions add two bonus tracks including a remix of "Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore," Rimes' duet on Bon Jovi's LOST HIGHWAY album), and she reveals herself to be a smart, canny songwriter with a knack for plain-spoken, clear-eyed lyrics about relationships and family. A mainstream country album with few of the pop-crossover nods of Rimes' more recent work, FAMILY is consistently strong, featuring some of her most appealing songs. Personnel: LeAnn Rimes (vocals, background vocals); Dann Huff (guitar, acoustic guitar); Stuart Mathis (guitar, electric guitar); Kenny Greenberg (guitar); Michael Thompson (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Tom Bukovac (electric guitar); Dan Dugmore, Paul Franklin , Jay Dee Maness (steel guitar); Jonathan Yudkin (banjo, mandola, fiddle); Carl Gorodetzky, Pamela Sixfin (violin); Kris Wilkinson (viola); Carole Rabinowtiz, John Catchings (cello); Tim Lauer (strings, accordion, piano, organ, Farfisa, Mellotron, keyboards, synthesizer); Mark Douthit (saxophone); Doug Moffet (baritone saxophone); Mike Haynes (trumpet); Barry Green (trombone); Tim Akers (piano, organ, Wurlitzer organ, keyboards); Matt Rollings, Steve Nathan (piano, Hammond b-3 organ); Rami Jaffee (Hammond b-3 organ); Charles Judge (keyboards, synthesizer, programming); Jimmie Lee Sloas, Leland Sklar (bass guitar); Chris McHugh, Russ Kunkel (drums); Eric Darken (percussion); Joanna Janet (background vocals). Additional personnel: Mare Broussard, Reba McEntire, Bon Jovi.