Many country radio personnel are already getting to listen to Carrie Underwood’s fourth studio album, Blown Away, and the reviews so far have been astounding.
From people who think the album crosses the whole gamut: from dark and intense to fun and tropical, every single reviewer is blown away by a different song. Some are calling “Wine After Whiskey” the album’s highlight. Others are saying the title track is a work of art that is beyond intense vocally, lyrically and arrangement-wise. Some have complemented the folky “Leave Love Alone.”
A new addition to Carrie Undewood’s website has a lengthy article about her upcoming album “Blown Away” in which many of the tracks are described. It’s a great read, so do that here.
And this is a brief summary of some of the tracks on the album, just to give you a taste of what awaits on May 1st.
Good Girl: We’ve all heard the song – it’s about Carrie telling the good girl about the bad boy she’s with. (Review)
Blown Away: a swirling, atmospheric production and intense lyric about abuse and revenge. The song is about a daughter getting revenge on an alcoholic, abusive father.
Two Black Cadillacs: the story of a wife and mistress who conspire to get even with the man who betrayed them both.
See You Again: A song that was originally written for The Chronicles of Narnia about how someone who touches your heart and is always there.
Thank God for Hometowns: a song that celebrates the understated pleasures of small-town living. “Thank God for hometowns, first kisses and touchdowns….”
Cupid’s Got A Shotgun: a high-energy track, and it gets an extra kick from Brad Paisley contributing his signature guitar licks. A fun song, with a touch redneck and very country.
Forever Changed: is about a young girl meeting the love of her life, getting married and having a baby. It takes you back in time, and there is something old fashioned about it. At the end, the mom’s slipping away a little bit. It is a sad song, but it’s not meant to be a sad song. It’s about love, being forever changed, forever loved.
Good In Goodbye: co-written by Carrie, Lindsey and Ryan Tedder, is a bittersweet look at life beyond heartbreak that offers tender truth in the lines “As bad as it was/As bad as it hurt/I thank God I didn’t get what I thought I deserved.” Some reviewers called it a song with a good message.
Nobody Ever Told You: which Carrie wrote with Luke Laird and Hillary Lindsey, boasts an empowering lyric and a breezy, engaging melody. It’s about how people need to hear compliments more – how they need more people to tell them “I love you” and “you are beautiful.”
Leave Love Alone: a folky song about how despite all, you just can’t leave love alone.
Wine After Whiskey: a country lament about how everything after a certain relationship is watered down, like having wine after whiskey. (Lyrics)
One Way Ticket: A song with a tropical mood, with a Zac Brown Band feel to it.
Who Are You: contains the following lyric: Who are you? my everything.
A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares 
can’t wait…may 1st i know where im going to be…most probably in virgin and first in line to get her album. carrie underwood is a gift from God to us people. she makes disliking country or any kind of music just down right ILLEGAL!
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Hahaha precisely!
I doubt Virgin Megastores will have it though. They’re always behind when it comes to the good stuff.
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I’m most anxious to hear “See You Again”. I’m a HUGE fan of Chronicles of Narnia. So when “There’s a place for us” got chosen, I was ECSTATIC!!! So just the thought of hearing another song that could’ve possibly been in the film, excites me to the bone! Carrie is a GODDESS!!
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There’s a Place for Us is a good song and very fitting to the movie. I think See You Again will be in the same vein.
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I am really excited for this album. Thanks for posting this nice article.
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You’re welcome. We’re all excited!
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I shouldn’t have read this…now I’m even more mad that I can’t hear it for another 2 weeks. This sounds like it’s going to be her best album yet!!!! Then again, Carrie always outdoes herself
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2 weeks is nothing 🙂
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Thanks so much for the summary, Elie. Excellent blog as always. One of the industry people who listened to the album tweeted that the songwriting is outstanding and production is fabulous, and that is no song that he would skip over. Make me so happy and excited. And I’m also glad that Carrie’s own co-writes are getting praise as well. Ugh, why can’t April fly by already? Lol. May 1 here we come!
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I think we’ll be getting to hear some of the songs earlier than that. Not all of them, but maybe some. At least I hope so. May 1st is only a couple of weeks away 🙂
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Any idea when this will be released in Lebanon?
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No clue.
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Ok why isn’t Carrie Underwood played more often in Lebanon? This album sounds really great. Will you be reviewing it?
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Because our radios sure like to make us listen to the things they import from American pop radio.
I’ll be reviewing it as soon as I can. In the meantime, keep checking.
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I went ahead and listened to Good Girl after reading this. Radio One and Mix FM need to play that song. It’s absurd that they’re not.Let me know when this is released, Elie.
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Working on it. Hopefully Radio One and Mix FM will be responsive.
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Thank you for compiling all of these descriptions of the tracks from Carrie Underwood’s upcoming Blown Away! I’m really looking forward to hearing Two Black Cadillacs and after Carrie’s revised biography on her official site and your prediction of why Blown Away should be the next single, I’m extremely excited to hear Blown Away!
I really hope you get to hear the rest of the album before its release date so that you can review it! I know reading some of your other reviews for other artists’ albums makes me want to check them out, so maybe if you got to review Carrie’s it’d make others want to do the same! Especially people in Lebanon.
You’re one of my trusty sources for new media, and while I’m already a Carrie Underwood fan highly anticipating the release of Blown Away, you have definitely made me more excited!
I look forward to reading more reviews and articles from you, Elie! Keep up the great work! Here’s hoping you get to hear Blown Away, the album, before the rest of us!
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You’re welcome. These descriptions are enough to get anyone who’s into good music interested. Two Black Cadillacs sounds very interesting, as does Blown Away.
Forever Changed and Good in Goodbye sound like they’ll be good as well. I’m willing to bet Good in Goodbye will be a single at some point. It’s just a hunch.
I hope my review of Blown Away, regardless of when I get to write it, turns out to be really representative of the album. I don’t want to be overly-complimenting or too harsh like some critics. I want to give the album justice. Thank you for your trust and I hope for my blog to continue to be as such.
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I am really looking forward to this !!
Thanks Elie – I will definitely keep checking back for more Carrie on your blog 😉
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Thank you for checking my blog 🙂
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Can’t wait to put another CU album into my record collection – its still amazes me how much her prior albums hold up even after countless spins – that is a sign of a legend. I will cross my fingers that Carrie will finally get an Song of the Year awards for one of her co-writes — after co-writing her last 6 #1 songs I think she deserved to win something (instead of Taylor or Miranda who are both overrated to me, not terrible, just repetitive in their song structure and vocal deliveries). As I listen to GOOD GIRL for the 50th time the song has settled in and does not seem so “hyperactive” as on first listen… Carrie really puts in some incredible vocals there and surely BLOWN AWAY may be her most amazingly vocally yet… why not? She keeps getting better and better which is almost impossible since she’s so great already. *** side note, I wish Carie had released “Someday When I Stop Loving You” as her 5th single last time around… all he fans universally confimed that song was the best on PLAY ON and surely a shot as song of the year.. wonder why she or her label chose not to release it? Does anyone know why? go team Carrie 2012 !!
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I’ll review Blown Away as soon as I can. Based on what I’ve heard from critics so far, it’s her best album yet.
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Wow Great Post Elie! so excited about this album and i’m glad that Carrie underwood’s fan base is growing in Lebanon 😀
Do you think that the album will be also released in Lebanon 1st of May as well?
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No idea. Without a song on radio to promote it, I think retailers will take their time getting it here.
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Thanks for the news. I’m so excited! For me I like Play on Album so far. I can’t wait for the title song too.
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This is CARRIE’s BEST album!!!!!
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It is! Check out my review of it.
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