Customer Reviews

My Heart

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Lorrie Morgan's penchant for dramatic ballads and big production sometimes gets a bit over-the-top, which is why MY HEART is such a delightful surprise. The CD is stripped-down and full of sparse, tasteful arrangements, which let her terrific voice shine through. The songs are winners, too; well-written and encompassing more than just the usual topics of love gained and lost. In fact, Morgan sounds so incredibly relaxed on MY HEART that she even breaks into giggles at the end of a few tracks. On one of these, "The Things That We Do," Morgan and special guest Jo Dee Messina ruefully check off a humorous list of everyday drudgeries.

Another standout, "Between Midnight and Tomorrow," is a great hard country song detailing the struggles of a woman in love with an alcoholic. Morgan even manages to turn Bryan Adams' glam-rocker "The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You" into a country number without losing any of the song's energy and humor. MY HEART does contain some big ballads--"Where Does That Leave Me," "On This Bed" (written by Morgan's husband Jon Randall) and the emotional Sammy Kershaw duet "Maybe Not Tonight"-- but none of them are overdone. And it's this restraint that lets MY HEART beat true.

Lorrie Morgan's career seemed to peak in 1997 with the release of her 1997 album SHAKIN THINGS UP. She had a few hits off there, but that was it. Afterwards came the standards album SECRET LOVE, and the vastly underappreciated MY HEART album. I admit when I first heard it, I didn't quite like it as much as her previous albums. It really grew on me though and it's quite a good album overall. MY HEART is Lorrie's 10th studio album. There's some fun cute songs, like her take on Bryan Adams' "The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You", or the fun title track. There's also the classic ballads Lorrie is famous for, like "Where Does That Leave Me", "Never Been Good At Letting Go", "I Did", "Strong Enough To Cry", "On This Bed" and more. Overall it's a great album, my favorites include "Where Does That Leave Me", "I Did", "Between Midnight and Tomorrow", "My Heart", "Never Been Good At Letting Go" and "On This Bed".

Lorrie's eclectic musical tastes didn't exactly endear her to American country radio station programmers who prefer singers that stick within a basic formula. Lorrie liked to record covers of pop oldies (usually from the sixties and seventies) and country oldies as well as contemporary songs. She even recorded a whole album of songs from the forties and earlier (Secret love) that obviously was never intended for country fans, except those (like me) who also enjoy that kind of music. Given all that, it seems ironical that when Lorrie recorded an album that dispensed with all the oldies and focused entirely on contemporary songs, it didn't do as well as was hoped. Perhaps the cover artwork, featuring Lorrie framed by a giant purple heart, alienated some people Nevertheless, the music is classic Lorrie. It isn't my favorite Lorrie album (that would be either Leave a light on or Watch me - it's hard to choose between them) but, like all of Lorrie's albums, this one is well worth hearing.

For this album, Lorrie recorded songs by some of the finest contemporary writers. The seven backing singers include Jo Dee Messina, though you would need to be a very astute and alert Jo Dee fan to identify her voice. The album opens with The things we do, in which Lorrie contrasts things she does with things she wants to do. It's interesting but I'm not sure if she really wants a one-way ticket to Mexico. It's a lovely country but everything I've heard suggests that human migration is mostly in the other direction. Nevertheless, it is a brilliant song. Another great upbeat song is The only thing that looks good on me you, which was co-written by Bryan Adams. The title track is an excellent mid-tempo song.

While Lorrie can sing any type of song, she is particularly good at ballads, which make up the rest of this album. All of them are brilliant - they are On this bed (written by Jon Randall, who was married to Lorrie at the time). Maybe not tonight (a duet with Sammy Kershaw, a more recent husband of Lorrie's), Here I go again (written by the brilliant singer-songwriter Kim Richey), Where does that leave me, I did, Strong enough to cry and Never been good at letting go.

While this was not one of Lorrie's big selling albums, there is much for Lorrie's fans to enjoy here. Do not worry about the cover - if you enjoy some of Lorrie's other music, I expect you'll enjoy this too.

Okay so Lorrie Morgan has married Sammy Kershaw and caused a lot of contraversey but so did Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks and everyone still loves them. Lorrie has a lot of talent that is both over looked and underated. This album is one of many that prooves it. Her voice is pure and strong and also natural unlike some of todays, so called female singers. Forget Shania and Faith and lets get back to some real talent.

My Heart was the long awaited album from Lorrie Morgan, her first since 1997's Shakin Things Up. The album is a bit of a departure from her past music. My Heart though is filled with some great material, and some not so great stuff. Songs like The Things We Do, I Did, Strong Enough To Cry, Maybe Not Tonight, Between Midnight and Tommorow, Never Been Good At Letting Go and My Heart are great songs. The other ones though are less than perfect, not to say they are so horrible, but they didnt really seem to suit her voice. This is by far not her best album, but its not that bad either.

The minute you see the cover of the CD you know you're in for more Faith Hill/Shania Twain wannabes. Lorrie is a perky and pretty thing, with a smoky and original voice. However, this collection is some of the most banal music I've heard in country music lately. The duet with Sammy Kershaw, "Maybe Not Tonight" is maudlin, hokey and the execution is lifeless. The Jon Randall (hubby) penned "In Bed" or "On the Bed", whichever, is songwriting at its most banal. Lorrie has delivered some good stuff in the past. "My Heart" will probably be her biggest seller --- in the countless bargain bins of Sam Goody's or Record Town. Not worth the discount price either!

Michael Butts

I don't wish to break her heart But, I have to agree with the person from Tallahassee FL. The album lacks the element that Lorrie does best! I have ALL her releases and I feel she is not picking the songs that suit her. I use to like all the songs on her albums now I find I only like one or two really well and the rest is just in the background. Like I said its not terrible its just not her best!!

Lorrie's always been one of the most honest and talented vocalists in Country music. On "My Heart," she does another solid job, but it's just not as good as her pre-"War Paint" era. The first song, "The Things We Do," has a nicely funky melody to go with good tell-it-like-it-is lyrics. I really like "Where Does That Leave Me," a soaring ballad that's different than most other country ballads in melody. The miss-the-person lyrics in it are good and pensive. On "I Did," Lorrie falters a little as nothing's really to be gained from this song. "Strong Enough To Cry" is a favorite of mine - in it, Lorrie compares crying to water on stone. "Here I Go Again" is better on Kim Richey's album - most artists who re-do Kim Richey songs don't quite get her songs right like she does herself. "The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You" is a very silly song that's only redeemed by its groove. "Between Midnight And Tomorrow" is a little bit too open-ended, but it does seem true to real life. "My Heart" is too similar to the opening track. "Never Been Good At Letting Go" has good lyrics, including the part where is says that the person leaves scratches on everything that she tries to let go of. "On This Bed" is a classic - it tells of the various life events of a person in a clever way. They even have background vocals making angel sounds on it. This album is a fine addition to Lorrie fans' collection as well as many general Country fans' collection.

This album is fantastic. I am a devoted Lorrie Morgan fan from England. I am so glad to see she is back to her usual high standard, as I was disappointed with her last Country album Shaking Things Up. My Heart has more than made up for it. I love the uptempo songs Here I Go Again and The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You. I also love the many splendid ballards on the album my favourite being Never Been Good at Letting Go. I have always felt that Lorrie Morgan has such a talent for picking good songs and this album has reinforced my belief. She has a fantastic voice and these songs emphasise this talent.

Lorrie has been releasing albums at bullet rate. This is a treat for all Lorrie fans but somehow I feel like this album was recorded in a rush. The songs here are not the best Lorrie has had ever chosen. If you like Lorrie for her thoughtful ballads like "Something in Red," "I Wish You Had Been There" or "Dear Me," be prepared to be disappointed on this album. "The Things That We Do" with her girlish giggles is anything but deep. Most of the songs here are uninteresting and they deal with themes and melodies that you have heard before from Lorrie's previous efforts. The try-to-be sentimental "In My Bed" somehow is a weak effort to try to be a classic. The only good song is the ballad with Sammy Kershaw "Maybe Not Tonight." Besides this song, I find Lorrie merely going through the motions trying to record yet another album. Maybe she should take more time to chose her songs. Although this album is entitled "My Heart" her heart is anywhere but near this album. By no means, is this a bad album, it's just too ordinary and it's just not the most heartfelt album Lorrie has done.