Customer Reviews

Gretchen Wilson: Here for the Party

5 star:		(98)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

I am not a fan of country music. It's just something I really haven't enjoyed listening to in the past. Every once in awhile I hear a country tune that I enjoy, but for the most part I don't like listening to that style of music. However, I grew up not too far from Pocahontas, Illinois and "Here For the Party" is one of the biggest things to happen in my old stomping grounds in a long time. So, I decided I would both support the local girl done good and find out what all the fuss is about. I was quite surprised. Wilson's songs and music are country, but with a twist. She has successfully combined the sensibility and earthiness of old style country lyrics with a modern sound that is fresh instead of stale like most "new" sounds are. There are traces of gospel, folk, and even a hint of blues in her music. The two songs I enjoy on the album most are "Chariot" and "Pocahontas Proud". I really enjoyed listening to this album and if I can find more music like Gretchen Wilson's, perhaps I'll be more open to listening to country music in the future.

Gretchen Wilson is a breath of fresh air in country music. It's the difference between listening to a real natural talent who can sing her heart out vs. listening to a fake barbie doll with a manufactured sound. Nashville has been churning out pure mush for the last decade and they lost me to the Texas music scene. But Gretchen proves that raw talent can still kick the door open in Nashville and I am glad she did - it's fun and energizing - Gretchen your great - go Girl!

OK, anti-Gretchen Wilson-ers ... y'all say she ain't "polished" and "all Nashville-shiny enough". Well, DUH!?!?!? She's jus' a lil' ol' redneck girl! I'm from southern Illinois - about 60 miles from her hometown - so I automatically love her. But seriously, what's great about her and her lyrics are that they come from the way she was raised and grew up. She pulled herself up by her own britches and she sings about it. If that ain't country music at it's finest roots, then y'all jus' ain't been listening long enough. She's good. Damned good. She ain't She-nay-ya and she ain't Faith. She's her own woman, singing her own lyrics. It's nice not to have Nashville rammed down our gullets - for a change - by being able to buy something new and innovative instead of ANOTHER of "canned country du jour". YOU GO, GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHo would have thought Gretchen Wilson would score a #1 album for HERE FOR THE PARTY? Well, she did...and here's why. She's got a good voice, she doesn't get swept up in the hum drums of country honky tonk life, and she keeps her album FUN! Yes, I said it...FUN! I think a lot of people like her because she likes to have a good time...and with the way the world is today...we need some music like that every now and then. While she does sound similar to many of the other country ladies out there today, I find that she tells it like it is....just like her comparison of two retailers in her monster hit "Redneck Woman". Who else would have thought of that??? All I have to say is, "You Go Girl!" I hope the next outing from Ms. Wilson will be this much fun. If it is, we better block off a whole city section for this party...it's too hot to handle!

It is nice to know that we finally have a good country CD out this year, I LOVE IT. songs like "Pocahontas Proud", "Redneck Woman", and "Here For The Party", really rock. Gretchen Wilson really reminds me of a 1995 Shania Twain, of a singer having some fun, and actually using some intelligent and unique lyrics (She wrote or co-wrote 6 tracks on the CD). Gretchen in my opinion, is the second best female singer out there today (Only behind Sherrie Austin (And if you read any of my reviews of Sherrie material you know how much I love her)), she does not do Celene Dion-type mawish material (Like Trisha Yearwood), or pesedo country (Like Shania or Faith Hill). Check out her song "Homewrecker", with lines like "I'm a Christian, but if you keep it up, I'm gonna kick your pretty little butt", that reminds me of Loretta Lynn's "You Ain't Woman Enough", and I actually prefer "Homewrecker". I would highly recommend going out and getting this CD, cause it is simply the BEST CD of 2004.

I'm not sure what to make of Gretchen Wilson. The production on this album smacks of commercial Nashville sheen, but her material seems critical of commercial Nashville sheen. Her first single ("Redneck Woman") was, of course, an enormous hit. Her second single, "Here for the Party," was a hit, but was sort of rightfully pegged as Redneck Woman Part 2. Just when I started to doubt her, she released "When I Think About Cheating," something very different and probably almost too traditional for country radio. (It is doing fairly well, riding on the momentum of her seemingly-overnight rise to stardom.) There are, then, some interesting contradictions at work here, and I think that might be the point. Anyone who argues that Wilson is the "real deal" is clearly neglecting the role of savvy marketing, and anyone who argues that she is ONLY a marketing creation is neglecting Wilson's obvious talent.

Gretchen Wilson is just what country needs. Female country artists who "rock" are typically seen as commercial outcasts, as are most (or all) female country traditionalists, and Wilson marries both of these non-commercial groups and somehow makes the result commercial. If she does not possess the legitimate fire of a Tanya Tucker, and if she is not as down-home as Loretta Lynn, at the very least she brings elements of these styles into the mainstream... thus bringing attention to neglected artists who recently haven't been able to break through the sterility of Nashville. If nothing else, Gretchen Wilson is a welcome and much-needed departure from the country diva slump we have seen during the last several years.

So yes, she's a commercialized version of authenticity, and perhaps not quite the glorified Redneck Woman that she professes to be, but her material must be commercial in order to be heard. Don't fault her for being mainstream. Instead, appreciate the new elements she brings to the mainstream and the manner in which they might change country radio for the better.

I do not describe myself as a country fan, although my collection includes CD's by Loretta, Wynonna, Reba and the much maligned Shania. What can I say, I'm a sucker for the ladies.
So I bought this CD due to the massive publicity surrounding "Redneck Woman" without first hearing it, as I do not listen to country radio. Gotta say, I'm pleasantly suprised! Girl's got some true grit to her and listening to this music you get a real sense that she's "real" and I like that. I also like the fact that she writes most of her own material, this makes her much more of an "artist" in my opinion. Favorite tracks include the bang-up opener "Here For The Party", feisty "Homewrecker", more traditional "Holdin' You", "Chariot", which I can't find the right word for (Gospel tinged? Hick-hop? Stirring, regardless of what you label it) and of course the now-classic "Redneck Woman". I agree with the previous reviewer that care must be taken to avoid being pigeonholed as a cartoon RW for the rest of her life. I'm listening to this CD alot more than I thought I would and can honestly recommend it.

For those who miss the good sound of TRUE country singers, Gretchen Wilson lives. Her music unlike Faith Hill, and others, has not crossed over to pop. Trust me, I think she'd K-O Faith in a boxing match. Not that I have anything against Faith Hill or any other singer who has a touch of pop in thier music, but, let's face there haven't really been any true country gals out for a long time.
Anyway, The best song ont he CD is "Redneck Woman". This song it anthem for beer drinkin', Honky Tonkin', Wal-mart shoppin', Charley Daniels and Tanya Tucker listin', non-high class broad of a woman. I have a friend who is the perfect poster person for this song. This song would scare off any city-slicker and gives the citreia for a "TRUE" Readneck Woman. Most of the songs on here have a heavy, country beat. But she does show her sensitive side in "The Bed" a song about a husband who doesn't tell his wife how he feels about her and how much he really loves her.
Over all the CD is a bit short, but that means you can go right back and start listening again. This CD is Great and actually deserves 6 stars if not more! If you love country or are just looking for some fast paced up-beat songs, this CD is great. I Highly recommend it. Whe has to do all the Older famous Country Gals proud.

This CD is a breath of fresh air! Here's hoping that more artists will emerge like Gretchen Wilson or maybe current artists will tackle COUNTRY music as Ms. Wilson does. This CD is loaded with the stuff that made country music famous. You won't find any Faith/Shania pop fluff here, don't get me wrong I like both Faith and Shania, but country they ain't! I was hooked on the CD after just one spin. The current single "Redneck Woman" sounds very much like something Tanya Tucker would have recorded, the fact that she's mentioned within the lyric just proves the point a bit more. In fact many of the songs on this CD sound like they came from Tanya's catalog and that's a good thing! Vocally Gretchen sounds a LOT like Dixie Chick Natalie Maines.
I just really love this album. "When I Think About Cheating" recalls a sound I haven't heard in country music in years. "Homewrecker" is the track that will make you swear it's the Dixie Chicks. The other tracks are just as great. If you like REAL country this is the CD for you!

When "Redneck Woman" burst onto the scene, full of noise and pop, I thought to myself, "Here we go again. Nashville attempts to reignite the fire started by Garth over a decade ago." "Redneck Woman" and "Here For The Party" have plastic, radio-ready written all over them. Naturally, these songs took off with the masses and Ms. Wilson was instantly an "outlaw" performer. It made me sick. I thought we were going to have to sit through more fabricated fluff.

Fortunately, Wilson put out "When I Think About Cheatin'" and showed me that she just wasn't around to make a quick buck. She really did know a little about the roots of country. When "Homewrecker" was released, she convinced me that there was more to her than a bunch of "redneck" phrases and "tough girl" imagery. She convinced me to buy her album and see just what the heck was going on with her.

I was surprised at how songs like "What Happened" and even "Chariot" were solidly grounded in the good stuff that makes up real country. The real kicker here was "When It Rains." That song has old school honky-tonk written all over it. It's the best song on the album in my opinion. Running a close second is "When I Think About Cheatin'." Ironically, my least favorite songs on this disc are the aforementioned "Here For The Party" and "Redneck Woman." They are just too commercial sounding for my tastes.

Give Ms. Wilson her due, she can hang with the best of them when it comes to neo-traditional music. She sounds a heck of a lot more "country" than Rascal Flatts, Kenny Buffett,er, I mean, Chesney, Mrs. Faith Hill, Mr. Faith Hill, Shania, etc. ever thought they could AND she looks like she could outlast all of 'em in a barfight.

Anyway, look beyond the obvious country plastic and you just might find a decent album that actually deserves it's country genre identification.

Recommended to folks who like Hank, Jr., Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt and popsters like Sheryl Crow.