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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
No Rough Waters On This River - His Most Successful Album, October 16, 2003
By the time this album was to be released, Garth Brooks has clearly established himself as an icon in country music. So, it was with great anticipation that "Ropin' The Wind" came into existance. With the success of his first albums firmly establishing his marketability, there was speculation that this third entrie into the Garth franchise would have difficulty beating the records set by "Garth Brooks" and "No Fences". Who would have guessed that this album would, in fact, be his most successful and largest grossing album of them all."Ropin the Wind" is virtually a collection of greatest hits for Garth. Of the ten tracks on the CD, no less than five went on to become top 10 hits, many of which going straight to the top. The album redefined Garth's style and firmly established the rock/country hybrid style that made Garth popular in multiple music markets. Where his first two CD's were more traditional in their sound, this CD really crossed over into rock, while at the same time maintaining the rich sounds of country music. Even Garth, who had recorded the work of other country artists in the past, turned to friend Billy Joel ("The Piano Man") to help pen "Shameless", arguably one of the strongest songs on the album. Though thematically, the lyrics of his songs remained faithful to the ideas and themes found in country music, his styling definitely was more edgy, riding the line between country and classic rock. "Rodeo", a song about a man who is torn between the love of his woman and his passion for the rodeo is driving, with a very rhythmic feel. It plays at once like an up-tempo country song and a soulful blues/rock ballad. "Papa Loved Mama" plays along those same lines, a hybrid of rock and country, perfectly blending the styles to create an entirely new sound. This song's lyrics are also a reversal of traditional country, where a vengeful husband turns against his cheating wife, running his semi-tractor into the side of a motel where she and her lover have slipped away. Where the song could have a very dark overtone based on its lyrics, its instead upbeat, with quick driving tempos and slick guitar and fiddle solos fleshing out the over-two-minutes long outro. Of course, no Garth album would be complete without at least one power-ballad, and this album has three beauts: "What's She Doing Now", a lament about a love gone wrong, and the balladeer pondering what his lost love is up to, "Lonesome Dove", a wonderfully narrated depiction of a family growing up in the old west, and, this reviewer's personal favorite Garth song of all time, "The River", an inspirational piece about chasing your dreams, and taking chances, regardless of the challenges that might be placed before you. This song, the final track on the album, resounds as Garth's favorite as well. (It should be noted that Garth always placed the songs most personal to him as the final track on each of his albums.) In all, "Ropin the Wind" is powerful, highly-stylized, and definitely one of the pinnacle albums in Garth's career. This is a great album for anyone who has never listened to a Garth Brooks CD, because it will make you an instant fan, no matter what style of music you listen to.
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by Garth Brooks 
