Customer Reviews

No Place That Far

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This incredible album almost leaves me speechless. Every single song is just terrific; I have never heard an album that is this consistently good from start to finish. I have only recently discovered Sara Evans, so I am hearing all of these songs for the first time. Maybe if I had heard a song or two on the radio before buying the CD, I would not be so amazed by her voice, but somehow I doubt that. I'm sort of going about this thing backwards--I started with Born to Fly and then I quickly moved to purchase this album. I still haven't heard the first album, but I will be buying it very soon.

It is a joy to hear lyrics that are not only discernible but also so emotional and powerful. Whether it is fast or slow, each song seems to really mean something and to actually affect me in some way. "The Knot Comes Untied" is a particularly moving song, as are "No Place That Far" and "Time Won't Tell." "Love, Don't Be A Stranger" and "The Great Unknown," while faster paced, also speak to universal themes like love, discontent, and hope in effective ways. Being a fan of "real," old-timey country music, I especially like the songs on the second half of the album, songs like "These Days" and "Cupid." "Cupid" is the real gem of the collection for me; featuring George Jones, this is country music at its best: "twangin' and sangin.'"

I don't really listen to country music, so I feel very fortunate indeed to have discovered Sara Evans. As many fans as she must have already, I have to believe that there are untold numbers of people in the world who would love this music but who may never be lucky enough to be introduced to it. If you're reading this review and wondering if you should take a chance on buying this CD, let me urge you to buy it. This is a voice that can touch your very soul.

Sara Evans clearly displays her versatile singing style on this album. From emotion packed ballads like "No Place That Far" and "Time Won't Tell" to the more lighthearted "The Great Unknown" and "Fool, I'm a Woman", Sara touches a spot in the hearts of many. "No Place..." is especially recommended to those with a newly broken heart. I found that it's an excellent source of strength to get through the day when "memories are like mountains and each one gets harder to climb". "No Place That Far" is definitely Sara's breakthrough album. Her new and upcoming album, "Born To Fly" should exceed the success of "No Place That Far"--based on the first single, "Born To Fly". It's a great song!!

The above sentence seems contradictory, so I will explain. I absolutely love Sara's first album, Three Chords and the Truth. I like it both because it is very well done and because it is very traditional country; a very rare combination in modern music. I was very disappointed in this album (at least the first half) the first time I heard it. Sara has obviously made her music more pop-ish to make it more appealing to a wider audience and to country radio. I like the second half of the album much better, which has a couple of great traditional songs (These Days and Cupid are out of this world!). After listening to the CD a couple of times the first half of it grew on me; it's not very traditional, but it is good music. I am sure that Sara is under pressure to record pop flavored, radio friendly music, but I hope she will at least keep recording some traditional songs too. There are dozens of singers who consistently produce good pop-country but so very few who produce great traditional country the way that Sara can.

I have had the pleasure of seeing Sara Evans perform live on two occasions, and quickly realised her potential as a future star. This album is a worthy follow up, and shows her maturity in choice of music styles, and lyrical content. The album is extremely well balanced, and doesn't have a bad track. The other great thing about it is, it's flexibility, being equally at home as background music, or belting out at high volume on the car or home stereo. A truly powerful vocalist, who is fast approaching the league of Martina McBride, and even Reba McEntire, this singer is certainly one to watch, both now and in the future. My only hope is that she doesn't change too much, the more she gets established. Not quite a "must have", but almost.

Having only recently discovered Sara Evans, I find myself going through that can't-get-enough period where I have her music on almost all the livelong day. Not only is she a superb songwriter (she wrote five of the eleven songs on this, her second album), but she has the warmest, loveliest, most distinctive singing voice. She doesn't sound like every other female country star out there--she has her own smoky, expressive tone, and it's like aural créme brulée.

Mining the typical country subjects of he-done-me-wrong and why-did-you-leave-me and think-my-heart-is-gonna-break, Sara Evans still finds new ways to approach these venerable topics. "The Great Unknown," the opening cut, is a rollicking, let's-hit-the-road traveling song. She even quotes the Eagles here, singing with a wink in her voice about wanting to stand on a street corner in Winslow, Arizona, takin' it easy. Jamie O'Hara's "Cryin' Game" is a treat as well, and on the sober "No Place That Far," Evans luxuriates in the drawn-out notes, reaching for the stars and then curling her supple voice up here and there like a cat cozying up beside a fireplace.

Beth Nielsen Chapman and Harlan Howard contributed a sweetly sad tune in "Time Won't Tell." Accompanied in the opening notes only by spare acoustic guitar, Evans uses her voice to make us hear yearning as we rarely hear it these days--adult, knowing, bittersweet. This is mature, thoughtful work.

Evans penned the lovely "These Days," which has about it the musical flavor of a traditional country tune--maybe something sung by Dolly Parton or Tammy Wynette in the 1960s. She has an uncanny knack for finding the kernel of musical truth in her songs, and that's here in powerhouse form. Others have pointed out that there's not all pure country stuff here, and they're right--but who's arguing the validity of just plain good music? Check out "Cupid," with the wittiest lyrics I've seen in a country tune in a good while:

Tell Cupid not to point that thing at me
One more hole in my poor heart
Is just what I don't need
I've been teased by fate
And burned by love
And left by Destiny
So for my heart's sake
Tell Cupid, "Wait!
Don't point that thing at me!"

And can you beat the folks who've teamed up with Evans here? It's a veritable Who's Who of country and bluegrass stars: Alison Krauss, Vince Gill, Jamie O'Hara, George Jones (George JONES!), Martina McBride, and Dan Tyminski, among many others. Purely for the vote of confidence these folks have invested in her by recording with her, you owe it to yourself to check out this fine sophomore effort from the very talented Sara Evans.

Sara Evans and No Place That Far is an exceptional CD. Its one of my favorites to date. She does a great job both singing and writing the songs. My favorites on this CD are Fool, I'm a Woman with Martina McBride, These Days with Allison Krause, and I Thought I'd See Your Face Again. Sara's harmony vocals are outstanding! She has those songs that just make you want to crank the volume up and sing along!

I FELL IN LOVE WITH SARA AND HER MUSIC ON CMT'S 'GIRLS NIGHT OUT'!! THIS CD IS GREAT!! MY FAVORITE SONGS ARE 'NO PLACE THAT FAR, I THOUGHT I'D SEE YOUR FACE, FOOL I'M A WOMAN, TIME WON'T TELL AND THESE DAYS!! NOTE: BACKGROUND VOCALS ON 'FOOL...' BY MARTINA MCBRIDE PROVE ONCE AGAIN SHE IS THE BEST THING TO COME ALONG SINCE LINDA RONSTADT'S EARLY YEARS!!!

After the failure of her debut album of traditional country music (Three chords and the truth), Sara added a contemporary edge to her music for this album. It still has much to offer fans of traditional country but this album enabled Sara's music to be heard on those all-important American country radio stations. The title track provided Sara with a huge country hit although the other two singles taken (Crying game, Fool I'm a woman) from the album were only minor country hits.

Sara co-wrote five of the songs here including the title track, often teaming up with Nashville's leading songwriters. Matraca Berg, Billy Yates, Tom Shapiro and Leslie Satcher are among her co-writers. This is one of those albums where it seems futile to pick out highlights because every track is brilliant. There is a star-studded cast of guests featured as backing vocalists including Vince Gill, Alison Krauss, George Jones and Martina McBride, though some ore less prominent than others.

The standard American version of this album was not released in Europe although that didn't stop me from importing it when it was released - I didn't know if it was going to be released in the UK. A different version was eventually released in Europe, with the packaging changed, some tracks re-mixed, a changed running order and two extra tracks. You'll easily identify the European version if you find it - the front picture just shows Sara's face (this picture appears on the back cover of the booklet in the standard edition). The picture on the front of the standard edition (showing Sara on a sofa) is relegated to the back of the booklet in the European edition. The two extra tracks are I only have eyes for you (a cover of the thirties classic later revived by the Flamingos in the fifties and Art Garfunkel in the seventies) and Almost new (described as an international remix version - I'm not sure where the original appeared). The other re-mixes are Crying game, No place that far and Fool I'm a woman. The re-mixes make for a slightly more contemporary sound but are not too dramatic. The European edition is long out of print but dedicated fans may be able to find used copies from UK sources. In attempting to locate the European edition, beware of the cover picture posted on a website - it may be wrong. Having originally bought the standard version, I didn't originally intend to buy the European version but I'm glad I did - it was worth it for Almost new (a superb ballad) and I only have eyes for you (an outstanding version of this frequently-covered song).

Following the limited success of this album, Sara committed herself fully to contemporary country with her third album, Born to fly - but that's for a different review. This Sara Evans album has something to offer all country fans, both traditional and contemporary. Whether you buy the standard edition or the European edition, you will surely enjoy this magnificent album if you enjoy country music at all.

This album is more contemporary than her debut, but it doesn't lose its traditional country vibe. The way Sara pronounces "again" in "I Thought I'd See Your Face Again" and the song "Cupid" remind us that she still has some traditional country in her.

"Cryin' Game," which is my absolute favorite song in this album. Every time I listen to this album, I put that song on repeat until I get tired of it before continuing with the album.

"There's Only One" sounds like a Christian song. If I'm not mistaken, Sara is a Christian, and it's nice to hear her sing "there's only one thing that matters, it's God's love."

This is a great album.

Sara Evans' second album NO PLACE THAT FAR finds the singer pushing her vocals a little more, and making her sound a little more contemporary. Of course the breakthrough hit was the title track, a duet with Vince Gill, which helped put her on the map and in the hearts of country radio listeners. It's a great ballad and definately a signature song for her. The album opens with the honky tonk "The Great Unknown", which is a fun fiesty little song that would have been a good single. "Cryin Game" was also a single from the album, it's a charming uptempo number. The other single was "Fool I'm A Woman" which is a great song. None of the singles did as well as the title track, which was the only real hit of the album. There's some great songs here, such as "I Thought I'd See Your Face Again", "The Knot Comes Untied" and "There's Only One". A good album start to finish!