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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Sound - Good Album, July 23, 2000
I am usually not a fan of country music, but I decided to buy this cd the week Garth Brooks said he would donate all proceeds to Oprah's "Make a Wish" Foundation. Well, was I ever pleasantly suprised.Sevens is one really good album. The songs have a smooth country feel with some rock characteristics mixed in as well. "Two Pina Coladas" and "Lockneck Bottle" are propably the two most well known singles, but others like "She's Gonna Make It" and "Fit For a King" are well done also. "In Another's Eyes" is a wonderful duet with Trisha Yearwood, and it has an incredible sound. I suppose that is what happens when you put two leading country voices together. Anyway, it is a thrilling song and a real pleasure to listen to. All in all, this is a really nice sounding album, chock full top notch songs. This is easily one of Garth Brooks' best efforts. You will enjoy this cd.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best albums ever put out by ANYONE!, January 3, 2005
Garth Brooks is one of music's greatest. He most certainly is my favourite singer and entertainer in the music business. For almost three decades Brooks has enjoyed a career in music, that saw him eventually get his record deal with EMI's Capitol Records division in 1989. His debut album "Garth Brooks" rose to the top of the charts and follow-up album's "No Fences" and "Ropin' The Wind" cemented his success both commercially and musically.
Between his debut and this set there had been a total of 9 albums to his credit. His previous studio album had been "Fresh Horses" and although it had done very well, critics were beginning to claim Brooks was washed up and running out of ideas. This album is proof, if any was needed, that they were wrong.
The album starts with "Longneck Bottle" (a track written by Brooks' friend and fellow Country singer Steve Warierner), a hard hitting Country song with a humours streak about whether to say in the bar or go home ("Longneck Bottle let go of my hand/Jukebox don't play that song again/I got a girl at home that loves me/She won't understand"). This was the 1st single off the set and the one that was played on radio stations the world over before the album was put out.
It was immediately followed by "How you ever gonna know?", this has to be my favourite track on the CD, Brooks' deliverance of powerful lyrics has always been one of his many greatest assets as a performer and this song puts that gift to good use ("How you ever gonna know/What it's like to be there/How you ever gonna know/How it feels to fly/How you ever gonna know?/ If you never dare to try) the song also features the somewhat tongue in cheek lyric "Listen no to the critics who put there own dreams on the shelf/If you wanna get the truth to admit it you gotta find out for yourself" no whilst this fits in perfectly with the rest of the song, one can't help but wonder if Garth was talking about the music critics who were claming his career was coming to a close.
The next two songs "Shes Gonna Make It" and "I don't have to wonder" are about loves turned bad, in "Gonna Make It" the song is about a man who wants to get back with his wife ("The crazy thing about it, is she'd take him back, but the fool in him that walked out, is the fool that just won't ask") while "Don't Have To Wonder" is about a man who sees his ex-lover marry someone else and end's up killing himself in the last verse.
It's probably a good thing the next song is "Two Pina Colladas" which is another tale of love turned bad, but rather than killing himself, this time Brooks just goes out and get's drunk. Probably a much better alternative.
"Cowboy Cadalac" echo's Brooks' classic 1994 rocking country hit "Ain't Going Down ('Til The Sun Comes Up)", while "Fit for a king" takes us to the beliefs of Christianity and is from a poor mans point of view. "Do what you gotta do" also echo's the message from a previous Brooks' hit "Standing Outside the fire", with it's never give up on your dreams message.
"You Move Me", on the other hand is a tender love ballad, that shows Brooks talents off wonderfully.
"In Anothers Eyes", another ballad, is a duet with Trisha Yearwood, whilst "When there's noone around" is a song about being your own best friend (This is a glimpse of a child that's within/He's so immature but he's still my best friend.. he's the kid that I am when there's no one around"), meanwhile "Friend to me" is a tribute to best friends, even when they can be the most annoying person in the world ("Times i'd rather kill you than listen to your "honesty"/But you've always been a friend to me").
Brooks then treats us to a fine rocker "Take The Keys To My Heart" (great lyrics in this one, he compares his heart to a car and then says "Fill 'Er Up").
I mentioned that "How you ever gonan know?" was my favorte track on this CD , but the final cut "Bellau Wood" has got to be a close 2nd (Interestingly this is Garths favourite cut on this album, followed by "How you ever.."). "Bellau Wood" is a beautiful song about a Christmas truce being declared by the American and German soldiers during the war.
It is a fitting ending to the "Sevens" album, an album of wonderful lyrics, wonderful musicians and one of the greatest singers of all-time taking the lead.
If you're a major Garth fan they you should already own this. If you are big or casual fan you might not. If not I can highly recommend it and if you don't own a Garth album, this is a good an introduction to his talent than "No Fences" or "Ropin' The Wind" (plus you get more bang for your back, 14 great songs on 1 CD!).
This is Garth Brooks, the singer of songs, showcased at his best.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Garth Brooks - Sevens, May 21, 2003
This album is taking Garth back to his roots. It's certainly less pop than his previous recordings. To prove it, listen to Longneck Bottle. It's a marvellous western swing thing, with jazz guitar chords and a deftly picked solo by Steve Wariner, complete with scat singing. This set has even got its own Friends In Low Places with Two Pina Coladas, which, like its predecessor, sounds like a great crowd singalong although I guess no song could ever beat Friends In Low Places in that category. Another great song, but much darker, is Fit For A King with Garth singing about a street preacher hurling "fire and brimstone at the cars passing by". The guy in the song apparently is poor and drunk but he knows material possession won't matter up there and that he'll be homeless no more once in heaven. It's deadly seriously written and Randy Howard's fiddle part on that song is the lonesomest you're ever likely to hear. Garth also has added his usual power ballads mood with, for example, I Don't Have To Wonder, a great song about a guy who doesn't even make inside the church but instead watches the wedding from outside. There are some nice lyric touches in this song. There's also In Another's Eyes, the duet with Trisha Yearwood, although, quite frankly, like most of those duets between unrelated artists, it's big, with a lot of shouting but doesn't exactly shake the world. On the radio-friendly side, you have She's Gonna Make It, a midtempo piece about marriage breakup told in the third person. As you might have guessed from the title, she's gonna make it, he never will. Garth the rocker also shines on Take The Keys To My Heart and Do What You Gotta Do, both very strong in their composition. So, there's music for everyone here.
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by Garth Brooks 
