Everything's Gonna Be Alright

Deana Carter | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 20, 1998)
• Original Release Date: October 20, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: EMI Special Products
• ASIN: B00000DCI3
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #167,805 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Even within the pop landscape of today's mainstream country, Deana Carter's follow-up to her blockbuster Capitol debut surprises. Carter and co-producer Chris Farren demonstrate an uncanny instinct for hits: These 13 songs--five of which were co-written by Carter---tour through Top 40s of many decades and genres. The musical and lyrical variety--rather than Carter's singing, which is breezy, not bold--is her strong suit. "You Still Shake Me" marries ZZ Top and raunchy Hank Jr., while "Never Comin' Down" has a sly, soul groove and wah-wah guitar that sounds like Bobbie Gentry swinging to Sheryl Crow. "Absence of the Heart" has flashes of Crystal Gayle at her torchiest, while "Angels Working Overtime," Carter's best vocal performance, has hip-hop style percussion, big, Mellancamp-esque acoustic guitars, and the bubbly, laughing voices of children--and somehow the pop dazzle doesn't swamp the intense narrative. Carter isn't making country music, but her confections can be delightful, even ambitious, pop stuff.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No "Absence of the Heart" here..., March 5, 2000

By 

Randy (Rancho Cucamonga, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Everything's Gonna Be Alright (Audio CD)

Deana Carter is an amazing talent. Reading all the other reviews, I can't help but notice that some of you found the album disappointing. You should never really compare albums. They're never gonna be the same. Her heartfelt writing/singing/and arrangements are just as flawless as the last album. Every song she sings is a gem. DID I SHAVE MY LEGS FOR THIS was a phenomal album...and EVERYTHINGS GONNA BE ALRIGHT was just as phenomanal. This woman is the brightest star in country music. ABSENCE OF THE HEART is easily one of the best songs that I have ever heard.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Underrated sophomore album, February 13, 2004

By 

Jake Z "holden84" (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Everything's Gonna Be Alright (Audio CD)

Deana Carter's second album EVERYTHING'S GONNA BE ALRIGHT was released in late 1998. The album didn't do too well, and ultimately, Deana was dropped from Capitol Records. It's a shame this album didn't catch on with country radio or fans, it's really good. It's unfair to compare this to her debut album, they are two completely different albums. This album, shows her more creative side. The album is a lot more acoustic than her first, and less commercial as well. The first single was the excellent ballad "Absence of the Heart". "People Miss Planes" is a really sweet ballad about giving love another shot. "Angels Working Overtime" may be seen as too cheesy, but it's a nice song and I like it. It was a single but didn't do too well. She covers "Brand New Key" and does a pretty good job. "Make Up Your Mind" is a nice 'in your face' kind of song. "Colour Everywhere" is my favorite ballad on the disc, it should have been a single in my opinion, would have been a hit I bet. Other highlights on the set include "Ruby Brown", "Never Comin Down" and "Michelangelo Sky". Give it a listen, it's a solid album!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good sophomore LP couldn't light up the charts, January 25, 2002

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Everything's Gonna Be Alright (Audio CD)

Just how do you follow-up the multi-platinum success of your debut album? It's a difficult task, and it's unclear whether Carter couldn't come up with an answer, or whether the market had simply moved on by the time her sophomore album was released. Like the debut, Carter's second album finds a comfortable middle ground between treacly ballads that should satisfy the Top-40 and rootsier mid- and up-tempo numbers that draw more directly on her stated influences. Unfortunately, as artistically successful as this may be, it couldn't find the same commercial momentum as her the debut.

Carter revisits the successful pen of Matraca Berg (whose autobiographical lyrics fueled the runaway hit, "Strawberry Wine") for two fine story portraits, "Ruby Brown" and "Dickson County." Both make for excellent album tracks, but neither has the lyrical hooks to climb the singles charts.

Other high-quality contributions include the mid-tempo "Angels Working Overtime" and the blue "Make Up Your Mind." The inability of these and other tracks to crack the singles charts suggests that Carters debut success was more a commercial fluke than a market endorsement of the album's quality. A couple of years later on, an album with similar integrity simply couldn't break through. This is surprising, given the built-in audience that the debut had waiting.

Even Carter's own contributions, including the ballads "Absence of the Heart," "Everything's Gonna Be Alright," mid-tempo, "Michaelangelo Sky," "Never Comin' Down," and the rock 'n' rollin' "The Train Song" couldn't find a mass commercial audience.

Though the quality of this LP shows Carter to be a lot deeper than a one-hit wonder, the lack of commercial resonance suggests her work may never again achieve the sort of broad popularity as her debut. With her contract at Capitol ended, the smaller scale release of her Christmas album on Rounder may mark a more fruitful artistic path.

3-1/2 stars, if Amazon allowed fractional ratings.