Way That I Am

Martina McBride

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 29, 2005)
• Original Release Date: March 29, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Collectables
• ASIN: B0007QCLR2
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #82,404 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
A relatively new, nonwriting artist is at the mercy of outside material, selected not just by the performer but by the producer and record label, each with not-always-overlapping priorities. It's long odds that a truly satisfying, no-weak-cuts album can come of this song-selection-by-committee approach , but Martina McBride pulled it off on her second album, 1993's The Way That I Am. McBride's vocal versatility is a big plus; she sings the four ballads here exceptionally well, with "That Wasn't Me" and "She Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" especially affecting. Better yet are the uptempo songs, to which she adds just the right pinch of polite raunch. The breakthrough hit "My Baby Loves Me" is structured too close to "I Fought the Law" for comfort, but kicks satisfyingly; "Life #9" is delightfully spunky; "Heart Trouble" is well-executed modern rockabilly; and the Pam Tillis/Bill Lloyd collaboration "Goin' to Work" effectively extols the virtues of a job as a salve for heartache. The album's key track is the powerful "Independence Day," Gretchen Peters' groundbreaking table turner about a battered wife who burns house and hubby to ashes one symbolic July 4. McBride's impassioned performance is a fitting cap to a first-rate collection. --Ken Barnes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional mix of tunes in different moods, June 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Way That I Am (Audio CD)

This album is really one of the great ones! It doesn't matter which mood you're in - it'll always leave you happy, with the knowledge that life always has something more to give you. Martina makes it sound as if she means EVERY word that she sings - total joy or total misery. If she can come even close to the quality of this album on her future releases - don't hesitate, get them!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No Sophomore Slump Here, September 21, 2001

By	Chris S. "cscotts" (atlanta, ga United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Way That I Am (Audio CD)

Though Martina McBride's debut was a solid enough collection of country pop, it failed to get her noticed on country radio, with the exception being the limited success of the album's title track. That wasn't a problem with this album, which just happened to better her debut and establish her as one of the best female vocalists of any genre to come down the pike in the last decade. First single 'My Baby Loves Me', though somewhat lightweight, was just one of many styles McBride gravitated towards, though she did and continues to do so masterfully. There were several other uptempo gems here, specifically 'Goin To Work' and 'Life #9', and her anthem 'Independence Day' remains a watershed for her, and marked her as one of the few country artists(the only other female that springs to mind is Reba) not afraid to tackle weighty social matters, a platform she continues to uphold to this day. Though that song established her, it's her command of the album's ballads that really show what McBride was capable of both artistically and vocally--
'Where I Used To Have A Heart', 'That Wasn't Me',and 'She Ain't Seen Nothing Yet' are as good as anything she's ever done and were the true overlooked highlights of the album. A sterling example of how well an artist can marriage radio expectations with artistic credibility.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One Fantastic Album, July 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Way That I Am (Audio CD)

"Independence Day" made Martina a Super-Star, but after listening to this album many times, my favorite is "That Wasn't Me", a true masterpiece.