Amazon.com: All The Women I Am: Reba McEntire: Music

Norfolk Daily News, November 11, 2010

While impossible to peel all of the layers that is entertainment mogul Reba McEntire, she's never been afraid to offer fans a glimpse into who she is. With "All The Women I Am," released Tuesday, McEntire has hand-delivered a magnifying glass.

After a re-energized first release on The Valory Music Co. that garnered two top 10s and the four-week No. 1 "Consider Me Gone," McEntire -- as always -- refused to rest on her laurels and found both the right songs and diverse emotions to create the most powerful and reflective album of her career. Whether it's a credit to producer Dan Huff or the continued energy felt with her new label, this is McEntire at her best.

"All The Women I Am" begins with the kiss-off single racing up the charts -- "Turn On Your Radio" -- filled with attitude and sass, both vocally and musically. It ends with a string-based anthem of parenthood in "When You Have A Child," featuring eloquent vocals to carefully capture the emotions felt during different stages of life. It's a song that could have been overproduced but instead has a more simplistic feel, allowing McEntire's vocals and Tom Douglas' lyrics to empower the message.

In between are eight tracks leading through a journey that feels like each song is removing another layer of who McEntire is, to quote CMA winner Blake Shelton's newest single, when no one else is looking.

The title track brings that theme to the forefront by acknowledging McEntire's ability to multi-task her career, life and celebrity while recognizing love as a priority. More specifically, the love of someone who accepts her as is, something all women desire but few find. The lyrics are strong, but it's McEntire's confidence and security that sells the strength. She believes every word, and it shows.

McEntire covers Beyonce's "If I Were A Boy" -- performed on Wednesday's CMAs and on CMT's "Unplugged" -- proving a great song is a great song in any format. With mature vocals, McEntire brings believability to the song, perfectly stretching the emotion of the chorus and dropping it back ever so deeply for a dynamic effect she's turned into an art.

Another highlight is "Somebody's Chelsea," co-written by McEntire and inspired by a scene from the film, "P.S. I Love You." McEntire rarely records her own songs but seems more confident in her writing abilities, which have grown immensely.

McEntire sings a beautiful tale about a widower and the desire to be loved as deeply as the man loved his Chelsea. "Somebody's Chelsea" was written in a newer style than we've seen from her, which is just as impressive as being able to feel McEntire smile each time she sings the title -- a sweet nod to a family member.

Fans will also take note of "A Little Want To," a fun, uptempo, motivational lift, as well as "Cry," a delicate song about all the ways to hide the pain of heartache. The only questionable track is "The Day She Got Divorced." Unlike the other cuts, it doesn't really go anywhere lyrically. McEntire brings a "Harper Valley PTA" feel vocally that's entertaining, but there's no revelation in the lyrics -- something that's become a trademark of all McEntire albums. Pinned between two great uptempo songs, it will become a track longtime fans relish and newcomers appreciate later.

In one lifetime, McEntire has flourished in three separate careers - artist, actress and businesswoman. In one album, she blends different aspects of each to showcase the emotion life, love and everything in between has to offer. What's left is a feeling that McEntire may be a mogul, but she's also just like every other woman. Despite all of her triumphs, McEntire is still the most relatable artist in all of music. "All The Women I Am" confirms that.

Singer, actress, entrepreneur, designer, mother, step-mother, daughter, sister, wife, philanthropist ... Is there any hat that Reba doesn't wear? The Queen of Country Music has a lot going on outside of music! And that's just the way she likes it ...

The Boot sat down with Reba at her own Starstruck Studios on Nashville's Music Row, to talk about her appropriately-titled 34th studio album, 'All the Women I Am,' which hit stores November 9. In this exclusive video interview, the iconic entertainer opens up about her new project and all of her many roles in life ... including the one that always chokes her up.

'All the Women I Am' includes Reba's sassy current hit, 'Turn on the Radio,' along with her co-penned 'Somebody's Chelsea,' a countrified version of Beyonce's 'If I Were a Boy' and seven other tracks of empowerment, love and heartache -- all themes that have run throughout the Oklahoma native's illustrious, 34 year career. The limited deluxe edition of the project -- a CD/DVD combo -- includes four videos from Reba's AOL Music Sessions performance: 'Consider Me Gone,' 'Strange,' 'I Want a Cowboy' and Eight Crazy Hours (in the Story of Love), along with her CMT Unplugged performance of 'If I Were A Boy' and behind-the-scenes footage of the making of 'Turn On the Radio.'

In the competitive music industry, longevity alone deserves recognition - especially when a career, like Reba McEntire's, spans more than 30 successful country albums.

But ongoing relevance over mere legacy is even harder to come by. With "All the Women I Am," McEntire accomplishes both.

Through these 10 tracks, McEntire reveals glimpses of her own life while opening a door to the challenges and accomplishments familiar to all women. The emotions of lost love are explored with brave fragility on "Cry" and with arena-rocking scorn in "Turn on the Radio." "When Love Gets A Hold of You" captures the sudden excitement of new love with a rumbling twang, while "Somebody's Chelsea" illustrates its undying possibilities.

The title track is a classic horn-driven Nashville rave-up led by McEntire's defiantly powerful vocals, but the album's stand-out performance comes from the slow-burning, tender cover of Beyoncé's "If I Were a Boy."

Product Description

Reba's 34th career studio album highlights include the smash hit, "Turn On the Radio," the break-out "Somebody's Chelsea," co-written by Reba, as well as the superstar's popular cover of Beyonce's hit, "If I Were A Boy," which became a viral sensation when she first performed the song on CMT Unplugged earlier this year.

ALL THE WOMEN I AM, marks Reba's first project with award-winning producer Dann Huff (Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts) and her second album for The Valory Music Co.

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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

Evolution of a Woman November 9, 2010

By Rudy Palma TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

"All the Women I Am" is a classy concept album that builds on the surprise success of 2009's "Keep on Loving You." There is no foreseeable break in Reba McEntire's seemingly indefatigable streak.

It is not the strongest collection of songs she has wrapped her voice around, but her energy flows like liquor from an open bar, making even lesser tracks highly listenable. The songs flow in and out of each other in a fashion suggesting different facets of womanhood, keeping the theme of the album in a way that sounds free and easy.

"Turn On the Radio" is conspicuously contemporary in sound, starting off with a blaring guitar riff and cooing background vocals - and Twitter and texting are mentioned in a syllable-bursting few lines clearly intended to show Reba is hip and current. However, results are what count, and she pumps the song with infectious joie de vivre. She is up to the task, and radio programmers seem to agree - it is her sixtieth Top 10 country hit.

Her cover of BC Jean's "If I Were a Boy" (popularized by Beyonce) is a knock-out-the-ballpark success. She imbues the song with a torrent of invested, genuine emotion that reaffirms Reba to be a titan among singers, irrespective of gender or genre. Beyonce's version sounds tepid and uninspired by comparison.

The profoundly touching "When You Have a Child," a lilting, graceful, bittersweet ballad, has the same power. The song is deliberately heart-tugging, almost shamelessly, but its sentiments ring true.

"And year after years pictures fill page after page," she sings. "They never really grow up - still your baby at any age. The first time you hold `em it's like you see God's smile."

The intriguing, highly inspired "Somebody's Chelsea" and "Cry" also fall into the ballad category, but the swashbuckling uptempos call the most attention to themselves. "The Bridge You Burn," for instance, celebrates moving on after a false start to a relationship with a rousing, rocking chorus. The song strongly suits Reba's abilities.

The strutting, engagingly unpretentious title track has the same charm. The lyrics have some cliches and odd metaphors, but Reba's performance makes that difficult to detect.

"I need a man who can handle all the women I am," she sings with fine-tuned confidence.

It is tempting to compare a veteran performer like Reba McEntire to young up-and-comers or, even less fairly, to her younger self, but to do so not only ignores the way the artist evolves but, in the case of this particular album, how a woman evolves.

Sure, a 25-year-old might have an advantage over Reba at a photo shoot, but when it comes time to sing this diverse an array of songs with robustness and sincerity someone so young could not bring the same emotion and experience to the table - to say nothing of the pipes.

A good song and a good singer is a winning formula, and "All the Women I Am" is a fine example.

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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful

The Queen of Country did not disappoint.... November 9, 2010

By Ty

Format:MP3 Download|Amazon Verified Purchase

Her previous album, Keep On Loving You, was a solid album (very good cd) but there were a couple of songs on which I felt she should've passed. However, this album I lovee EVERY track!!! She seems to exude more soul on this album!! She exemplifies how to blend soul and the heart of country. She leaves no wonder why is she called the Queen of Country. They did very well to release Turn On The Radio as the lead single. Also, I was floored when heard Reba's cover (live) of Beyonce's If I Were a Boy. Reba certainly made the song her own. Although, in a recent interview about recording the song she didn't seem too enthusiastic about the song. ? It's easy to see when Reba loves a song. For instance, she loves Cry--and you will, too. I could analyze every song but given that I JUST NOW listened to each song--I'm still reeling in the exceptional talent that Reba put on this album!!! You will love this album....

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

She's still got it! April 28, 2011

By Kurt A. Johnson HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

This is the twenty-sixth(!) studio album of Country Music Hall of Famer and indeed Country Music legend, Reba McEntire. What can I say? She's still got it!

The album is very good, quite captivating, with a great series of sounds. Each of the songs speaks of a strong woman, who knows who she is and where she's going. I must admit that I did not like, "If I Were A Boy," and always skip over that track, but other than that, the album is pure gold. If you like good Country Music, REALLY GOOD Country Music, then get this album!

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