Carrie Underwood:
Carnival Ride
Review by Angela

Miss Underwood’s second album embraces her country roots and is a lot more personal than her debut Idol-derived Some Hearts, which is sure to be a hit with fans. This latest offering from Underwood describes aspects of her life post-Idol, and she’s even co-written four of the thirteen tracks.

We open the album with the attitude driven Flat on the Floor, before moving into the first of the four tracks that Carrie co-wrote: All American Girl. The upbeat track is a celebration of femininity, detailing the impact of the all American girl on the life of the men in her life and how they love and adore her. Often referred to in the media as an “all American girl”, I wonder if this is a recognition of this by Underwood. Track three is Carrie’s first single off the album, So Small. The ballad, also co-written by Underwood, is about knowing what’s important in life and not worrying about the small things.

The next track Just a Dream, is personally one of the stand outs on the album, and chronicles the story of a young woman who loses her fiancé in the war. The simple lyrics paint a powerful and emotive story about losing someone you love unexpectedly and in one of the cruellest ways in life. We then move onto a more positive and upbeat track – Get Out of this Town. The quick paced rhythm of this song reflects the story behind it – breaking free and venturing out into the unknown.

Track six, Crazy Dreams, is an autobiographical track, co-written by Underwood. It’s an ode to long shots and having the ability to dream, because they may just become a reality like Carrie’s! The mood of Carnival Ride once again changes with I Know You Won’t, a ballad depicting the tale of being let down by someone you love but still wishing for them to be better even though you know it’s not going to happen. The next track Last Name is a cheeky country pop rock song co-written by Miss Underwood, detailing the story of having a little fun during a night out and then spiralling out of control into drunken regrets.

You Won’t Find This, Carnival Ride’s ninth track, once again captures the strength and emotion that Underwood’s voice is capable of conveying. In this ballad, Underwood sings to an ex that no matter how hard they try to move on, it’ll never compare to what they had with her. We then move on to I Told You So, which is a cover of one of Underwood’s favourite singers – Randy Travis, and his late 80s hit. After that, Underwood gives us a bit of cheeky attitude in The More Boys I Meet, singing in a distinctive country twang - “And I close my eyes/And I kiss the frog/ Each time finding/The more boys/I meet/The more I love my dog”. The jangly guitars and violins emphasise the country flavour of the song.

Track twelve is Twisted, a song about a relationship on the edge. This song has a constant beat that makes you tap your feet and then builds up with instruments in its chorus. Rounding off the album is Wheel of the World – Underwood’s favourite song and no doubt sure to be popular with fans. It’s a song about the constant unpredictable evolution of life and epitomizes what the album is about – the crazy journey that Underwood has made in the past few years. The lyrics “God put us here on this carnival ride/We close our eyes never knowing where it will take us next”, are Underwood’s favourite lines, summing up what life is to her.

Overall, Carnival Ride is an enjoyable listen with radio-friendly tracks that you can’t help but sing along to. I give it an 8/10.