Customer Reviews

Some Hearts

5 star:		(960)
4 star:		(116)
3 star:		(31)
2 star:		(37)
1 star:		(293)

 

 

Like all American Idol produced albums, there is always some inconsistency with production and etc... There is the slightest bit of this on Carrie's album. We first began to truly see this with Fantasia's exceptional debut, Ruben sophomore effort (better than his debut Soulful), and of course multi-platinum pop-rocker Kelly Clarkson's Grammy deserving Breakaway. SOME HEARTS presents a truly credible country album without the American Idol aspect attached, which may mark the first American Idol debut to officially shed that image.

Carrie's debut is just as expected-a country set that has some pop sensibilities. The emphasis is on some because for the most part, this album will appeal to those who loved Carrie on American Idol as well as those who love a good country album. The pop sensibility comes with such a track as the excellent "Some Hearts" which features driving guitars, slick production and Carrie rising to a high E. Despite that, Carrie sings her heart out on this appropriate title track.

On her opening track "Wasted", as with ever American Idol album, Carrie's grabs the audience's attention with a well written selection that shows off Carrie's pure upper register. That is followed by an incredibly country influenced "Don't Forget to Remember Me", which isn't a bad track, but it slightly lessens the heightened momentum created by the great "Wasted". Nonetheless, that is where "Some Hearts" and the touching first single "Jesus Take The Wheel," which is made of a stunning piano, string, and electric guitar driven arrangement, throw the album back into full swing. Other notable highlights from SOME HEARTS include "Before He Cheats" which uses a bluesy production sound mixed with the first time that I've personally heard Carrie achieve some much needed grit to her pure voice. Selections "Whenever Your Remember" and "I Ain't in Chocatoe No More" also steal the show. There are some other tracks of less notability, yet it is important to note that this album is consistent for the most part lending many great tracks besides the major ones such as "We're Young and Beautiful" and "Starts with Goodbye".

While this album has a few flaws (Carrie over sings slightly on "When you're Beautiful"), for the most part it is well produced, Carrie's pitch is impeccable, and it is just a fine, well rounded debut. Where this album is concerned- a big fat 4 stars from a non-Carrie fan for this very fine debut.

It's rare that I buy a cd and like every track, especially when it is an artist that I have had no prior knowledge of. I heard of Carrie Underwood, but I'm not a watcher of American Idol. I just knew that she won, and that she was a country girl. I read some reviews and I was curious, so I went ahead and bought the cd. I'm glad I did! I have to say I am really impressed with the songs here. Carrie has a great voice, and knows how to be emotive and powerful. The first single "Jesus, Take The Wheel" is powerful and moving. She really shines on the ballads. Other favorites I have on the cd include "Before He Cheats", "Starts With Goodbye", "Don't Forget To Remember Me", "That's Where It Is", "The Night Before (Life Goes On)", "I Ain't In Checotah Anymore", and more. Overall a great debut album... I look forward to seeing where she goes in her career!

Carrie Underwood and Bo Bice were the 1st and second place winners in last years American Idol. Bo's album comes out next momth. Carrie's is here. What a fantastic album! The song selection here is pretty strong as is the production. The songs all sound like they would have fit right in on a Martina or Faith album. This does NOT sound like the winner of some TV singing contest, Carrie sounds like she's been doing this her whole life and has been given a shot at the big time. She sounds very natural through out the album. I hope "Before He Cheats" gets released as a single. The song shows a very different side of Carrie than the rest of the album. Musically it reminds me of "There Is No Arizona", lyrically, it's just scary!!! It's about a woman seeking revenge after he's cheated on her. Great song, but like they say Hell hath no fury..... Carrie clearly has a career ahead of her. This could be the start of a long running career.

Proving that she has transcended the fluff and fakery of the world's biggest talent show, Carrie Underwood delivers what is not only the best and most cohesive album by any "AI" alumnus to date, but also the best female vocal performance of any album of 2005. This is not the shy wallflower we all saw singing her heart out on "American Idol" . . . this is a confident country-pop diva ready to take the world by storm.

"Some Hearts" is fourteen immaculate country-pop gems, each single-worthy in its own right, but also working perfectly to achieve the kind of unified tone and texture that more artists should strive for. When I first listened to this album, I was immediately struck by how good these songs are--how good ALL of them are. In an age when the typical genre album has seventy-five percent filler or more, it's refreshing to encounter one that you can listen to from start to finish, with no thought or need of skipping around. "Some Hearts" is beautifully crafted and perfectly paced, and in terms of pure artistry it is miles ahead of most of the competition--country, pop, R & B, or otherwise.

Carrie Underwood's vocals on this album are a wonder and a marvel to behold. Her crystalline mezzo-soprano soars from beautiful delicate lows to thunderous, rafter-shaking highs with ease and authority. She has proved once and for all that she is not just a technically-proficient vocalist but one who has soul, presence, and tremendous empathy with her material. Forget the old talk of her being a stiff and lifeless performer. On this album Carrie is a commanding and compelling diva in full control--and her new-found confidence is a joy to witness.

With this debut release, Carrie has set a high bar not only for herself but for all of her contemporaries as well. This is one of the best albums of 2005 and it heralds the emergence of a major new female talent.

Just call her Miss Underwood, if you're nasty.

Some Hearts is an excellent debut album from Carrie Underwood. Every track on this CD sounds so good. The title track is an upbeat song about some people get lucky in love. My favorite track is Jesus Take The Wheel. This is a standout song about putting your life in Jesus' hands. I really liked the song. I'm not a particularly religious person, but I enjoyed it. I think Carrie sounds great here. I Aint In Checotah Anymore is another highlight on this album. This is a song about how quickly Carrie's life has changed since she became famous, and yet she remains a modest and humble person. I Can't Live A Lie is a very good song about how two people drift apart in a relationship. Carrie's vocals are very touching here. Before He Cheats is another one of my favorite tracks. This is a song about all the thoughts that go through a woman's mind when she suspects her boyfriend is cheating on her. I love the song Wasted a lot too. This is an awesome song. It is a reminder that we should try to live our lives with no regrets. Don't Forget To Remember Me is a very pretty song about how much Carrie loves and misses her family. The Night Before Life Goes On is a good song about growing up and beginning your life as an adult. I think this is a song that everybody can relate to. I really enjoyed listening to this CD, and I recommend it to anyone.

I am pleasantly surprised at this album! I was expecting some very poorly written songs and OK vocal performances like we've seen on past idol debut records. Carrie has proved she has amazing vocals, but sometimes on first albums singers tend to hold back. This is not the case for Carrie's CD! She really goes all out vocally, and to anyone that didn't know this is her debut CD, you'd think she has been up performing and making CD's her entire life! I never really was interested in country music, but after hearing this album I have changed my views. I never realized how refreshing it can be, and Carrie's beautiful voice just makes this album that much better. The songs are not cheesy, they have meaning. They are suitable for people of all ages, and I promise you will find songs on this album that will jump out at you. This CD is NOT a waste of money, and it will put Carrie on the country scene with a HUGE splash. This album is definitely the best debut from any american idol yet. The only album from American idol that is better than this is Kelly Clarkson's second album, Breakaway. But I guarantee Carrie will just get better and better as time goes on. So please, stop listening to me go on and on about how truly great this CD is and go listen to it yourself!

First of all I am not a big fan of country music, the very thought of it makes me cringe and shudder sometimes. Very few country artists have managed to make an impression that makes me turn around and take notice. Now I must admit, I watched American Idol and Carrie was my pick to win the competition. Technically speaking she was the best vocalist out of all the finalists. However Carrie's choice of songs and their recurring country themes kept making me wary about what an entire country album would sound like. Mostly because all of the songs she sang were not her own but really well known songs that if you've heard the originals, no matter who sings it, it doesn't compare to the originals.

However "Some Hearts" is truly a pleasant suprise and delivers the most solid freshman effort by any Idol. Yes Kelly Clarkson's debut album was one of the most universal solid albums, but nowhere near the quality of her sophmore effort. Materialwise, Some Hearts is on par with Clarkson's sophmore effort, in it's own respective genre of course. The lead single "Jesus Take The Wheel" is one of those rare inspirational gems with a punch. With the inspirational lyrics and the soaring vocals this one is sure to be a winner at Country radio. The second single "Some Hearts" (This has actually been confirmed contrary to a prior review reporting "Wasted" as the second single) is instantly recognizable as a mainstream vehicle. The song with it's infection chorus and soaring crescendo is sure to make this track a fan favorite.

The true gems on "Some Hearts" however are the tracks "Before He Cheats" and "I Ain't In Checotah Anymore." Carrie really shines on these two tracks. You can genuinely tell that Underwood loves the material. "Before" tells about one of those situations we'd all love to do but are too chicken to ever carry through. The song revolves a woman who knows her man is cheating her and calls every step as if she were part of the psychic friends network.... "Right Now, he's probably slow dancing with a bleach blonde tramp and she's probably getting frisky.
Right Now he's probably buying her some fruity little drink cause she can't shoot whiskey," Underwood purrs before breaking into full soaring vocals "I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped up four wheel drive, carved my name into his leather seats. Took a Louisville slugger to both headlights. Slashed a hole in all four tires. Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats," She exclaims in true girl power glory.

On "I Ain't In Checotah Anymore" (In which underwood shares songwriting credit) you really get a sense that Carrie truly is just "the girl next door." You totally see that she truly was the talented girl next door plucked from obscurity and thrust into the spotlight. You get a sense that hey "oh my goodness she goes to Walmart, and the Sonic. Wow she's just like me."

In short this album is a intensely solid debut. The only thing that would have made this album better would be a studio version of "Alone."

OK. I am not going to be like those kids out at the block drawing the walls, or those kids that pull off the table cloth to make the plates on the table fall. I am going to just speak the truth. I am not going to be biased or what. I am going to start off by commenting on other people's reviews. I will begin with those who gave 1 star reviews then.
There are 3 different reasons why they gave 1 star reviews.

***1st reason***---They keep comparing her and her! We really have to stop comparing Kelly with Carrie. We are supposed to review the album, not compare their albums. Kelly and Carrie are two talented singers running into different directions and paths. We can't compare their albums. Cheese fries taste good, but when you compare it with steak. There will be people who prefer steak still. But you still have to agree that fries taste good too. It's the same theory. In my opinion, at least Carrie knows that she is going to be a country singer. And she made a country album. She knows exactly who she is. I agree Kelly is great and she deserves to win. I am a true fan of Kelly's vocal too. But she doesn't know who she is. Her first album is a soulful, R&B, pop album, it carries the essence of poppy stuff. But her second one is a total rock album. How about the third one? It would most probably be Jazz, New Age, Classic album. You get it? Why do I say so? Cause she doesn't know who she is. She is always going with the flow. She sees what kind of music is famous now and she will just go into it. She saw Avril Lavigne shines in being a rocker. So she follows. Also, Kelly has gone through a whole lot more experiences than Carrie. You are actually comparing Kelly's second effort with Carrie's very first effort!

***2nd reason***---They hate Carrie because they prefer other idol finalists like Bo Bice or Anthony Fedorov. They have not even heard the songs. Not even the samples. It's easily realized as they always write reviews like `I hate her voice' or `Her voice got no emotion'. People who really listened to the album will write something like "The song Wasted is nice. The song Some Hearts is brilliant'. People who really listen to the albums know the track title. Can't believe people can still write reviews like `The song Independence Day is not nice in this album' here. The track is not even in this album. Please at least listen to the samples to write a true review of the album. Can't believe they could even compare Hilary Duff (poppy bubblegum queen) CDs with Carrie's. The are probably ruining her life by making the rating drop. Please, even if you want to cheat, create accounts with different names. Or else people can easily identified that it's from the same few ones.

***3rd reason***---They most probably really thinks that Carrie is not their cup of tea. A true artist can't make the entire world likes him or her too. So I wouldn't say anything. But just hope that you guys know that it's her very first effort. So it does consider as a good effort already. Not all artists have their debut album succeeded. That includes Kelly's.

Now, let's discuss those who gave 5 stars reviews.

***Reason***---Well. They are Carrie's fans. They probably really think it's a good album. Just like some of the 1 star reviewers could probably think it's not a good album, being not biased or what. I must also admit that there might be a few ones who gave 5 stars reviews when they are thinking of giving 3 or 4. They just want to help Carrie. Well, let's don't let this few affect anything. I would say every album's review must have a few of this kind of human beings. It's okay for me, I guess. Haha.

Now, let's talk about my opinion on the album `Some Hearts'. I would say I would repeat the tracks over and over again (cause they are all nice) except for the song `The Night Before' and `That's where It Is'. Majority of the songs are pure country music that actually carries the essence that can even appeal to pop or rock fans. It's not an album that totally has only ballads or fast songs. It's a mixture of both, and therefore it caters to both slow and fast songs lovers. Don't Forget To Remember Me would be a good example of a slow ballad song and Before He Cheats would easily represents a fast and rock song. For that, I give her a star. She's emotionally connected with the songs and her attitude and emotion just change with revise of what kind of song she's going to sing next. Another star for that. It's also not an album full of just love lines, breaking up (which most albums are doing) or loving someone. As I said, it's a mixture you see. One extra star again. She has both the voice and the looks. Her voice is so beautiful and has great range. Another star again. Not to forget, excellent personality. She knows exactly who she is and what she wants to be. One last star for her! If it's considered a rushed album, then it would be the best rushed album. If it were an American Idol winner album, then it would be the most successful one. Trust me, Simon (In fact it's all the judges) is right about what he had always commented and judged on Carrie.

In conclusion, please write true reviews. Don't base on `Oh I hate her look' or ` Oh Kelly is better'. Should be `Oh I heard the tracks and think that...' I really don't mind even if you all hate her album after LISTENING TO THE ALBUM. I just want Carrie's album to have a true rating. 5 stars for Carrie then. It's only her debut album and she did so well, good job Carrie.

Just let me start out by saying I have always HATED!!! country music I have always been a huge Madonna,Britney Spears and,Kelly Clarkson fan.I always told my mom I would never like country music I guess you should never say never, because I love Carrie Underwood, and I love her new cd Some Hearts so much so that I bought 7 copies to give to family and friends!!I have nevere bought more than one copy of any cd.Carries cd is the best cd I have bought sense Kelly Clarksons Breakaway.Even if you don't like country music you should give Carrie and her debute cd Some Hearts a chance, because you won't be disapointed if you like good music.This cd is the kind where you don't have to skip tracks they are all worth listening to. Carries voice is awesome!!! My favorite tracks are Starts With Goodbye,Before He Cheats,Jesus take The Wheel,and Some Hearts all the songs are great,but these are my favorites.Please don't let the negative reviews make you not give this cd a chance listen to it before you form an opinion.I look forward to seeing Carrie's career take Off!!!!

I just can't take all of you ignorant people who are leaving these one star reviews if you don't like Carrie or her cd give her your one star and move on there is no reason to degrade her and put her down!!For all you people who keep saying you like her hair better when it was dark if you even watched American Idol season 4 or were a Carrie fan you would know she has alway's been a blond!!!Kelly Clarkson is the one who had dark hair and dyed it blond.For the person who said that Carrie is 28 and she needs to grow up she is only 22 and still has allot of growing up to do so all you ignorant people need to back off of her!!!!! I love your cd Carrie you go girl!!!!!!!
Whats up with all these people who are praising Carrie and her cd but keep giving her one star.If you like it you need to give her 5 stars you guy's are making her rating go down!!


I think it is really sad I have to add to my review again to defined Carrie,because it's just making me physically ill to listen to all these ignorant people degrading Carrie the way they are it is just down right hateful!!! I mean come on one person said she sounds like a retarded goat on crack,another person called her a country dragqueen that needs to stop singing before her ugly face was shown all over tv as loser of the year.What dose this have to do with her cd .If you don't like Carrie fine, but there is no need for all this negativity you ignorant people are directing towards Carrie GROW UP!!!!!How is it possible for the same person to keep giving Carrie one negative review after another. I thought you were only aloud to leave one review this person has left like 15 one star reviews putting Carrie down.This person really needs to get a life do they get off on making other people feel bad!!!We live in a sad sad world when people have to resort to this kind of behavior to make them selves feel better by putting someone down that they don't even know!!!!I love Carrie and I think she seems like a very sweet girl!!Her cd is great so please don't listen to these people who are saying such hateful things.Listen to the cd for your self before you buy it,and form your own opinion you may or may not like it,but there is no need to be mean and say such hateful things like some of these people have.To all you people who have left one star reviews,and were respectful about it this is not directed towards you,but the people who weren't respectful SHAME ON YOU!!!!what has Carrie ever done to you? So what if you don't like her cd you can say you don't like it without being so degrading,and hateful!!!!

I'm actually not believing some of these pathetic 1 star reviews from fans of others from Idol. Heck they're even so bold as to admit it or you look at their past reviews and you can put two and two together and see why they would do something so childish. Is it insecurity? I wonder. What a sad world this is.

Now on to Carrie...what a wonderful debut! There are great things happening for this young lady. Something she worked very hard for. There was not one song I did not LOVE on this CD!