Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Subtler Approach Makes This One a Winner, October 24, 2005
Ever since the release of her enormously successful debut album "Here For the Party" in mid-2004, Gretchen Wilson has been on a rollercoaster ride at the speed of light that includes incessant touring and press. Consequently, the conspicuously quick release of her sophomore effort, "All Jacked Up," which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, is indeed surprising. Where did she find to co-write and record another LP so quickly? It's a tough question, but the most important thing here is that the new material is just as solid as her debut.
The title track and lead single begins the collection on a caffeinated note, finding Wilson drinking more liquor than she can handle one night in a bar. As a result, she subsequently scuffles with a girl of "10'2" and a bad attitude," not to mention backing her car into a traffic light to the delight of the townsfolk. She also sings of her delight for cowboys in "Skoal Ring" and speaks her mind about the Golden State in "California Girls" with her sense of humor on full throttle.
"There ain't nothing wrong with plastic surgery/Well, Dolly Parton never looked so good to me/Everybody oughta be exactly who they want to be/But that Paris Hilton gets under my skin/With her big, fake smile and her painted-on tan/Never had a chance at a real man."
Still, this record isn't all fun and games. "Politically Uncorrect," where Wilson trades lines with singer/songwriter Merle Haggard, finds her rooting for the underdogs of our nation, proclaiming she's "for the low man on the totem pole." She tackles a similar theme on "Full Time Job," where she tips her hat to those who have the most difficult occupation of all: Mothers.
"It's the hardest gig I've ever known/I work my fingers to the bone/Yeah, the dishes and diapers never stop/Lousy pay, there ain't no 401k/I know this may come as a shock/But this here's a full time job."
Other key tracks include "Not Bad For a Bartender," where the Pocahontas, Illinois native remains wide-eyed at her recent fame, her realization of how coldhearted women can be on "He Ain't Even Cold Yet" and puts herself first in the near-breakup ballad "I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today."
Although she may be bordering on too much ubiquity and her image is cliché, the quality of "All Jacked Up" proves Wilson is indeed no flash in the pan. There is no doubt that she is a talented writer and song stylist, and will continue to make solid records for a long time to come.
The DualDisc version of the album includes interview footage, a photo gallery, all the songs in LPCM stereo and the music video for the title track.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
She Gives You What She Really Is, September 29, 2005
I have to laugh when people attack Gretchen for being exactly what she claims to be - a redneck woman.
She delivers some solid performances here and the writing is true to her heart, even on the few songs she did not write.
I bought the CD because a good friend is a co-writer on one of the songs. I was pleasantly surprised she tore into some real country songs - something most modern female singers who claim to be country music artists fear like the black plague.
I was surprised Gretchen grabbed "He Ain't Even Cold Yet" and sang it as honest honky-tonk country, though it is not as devastating a version as the same song sung by Ken Mellons a couple of years ago on his CD.
If country music is about truth, Gretchen sings it on this CD. It's the truth she loves and lives and I salute her for it. I especially like "Not Bad For A Bartender" because it is the modern-day equivalent of "Coal Miner's Daughter." She tells us who she is and how she got here. She also tells us in that song, "..if it can happen to me, it can happen to you," to keep our own American dreams alive in us by our seeing the success she has achieved so quickly.
She is unabashedly patriotic and supportive of the "little guy" as she sings "Politically Uncorrect."
The world quickly embraced the "Redneck Woman" and her honesty and she didn't betray that love by doing a U-turn toward Pop on this, her second CD.
She is saying, once again, "OK, you liked who I was the first time. Here's some more of the real me."
You may not like the Gretchen Wilson you woke up with after this second date but she is the same genuine version you fell in love with on the first date.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Would give it more than 5 stars if I could, September 27, 2005
In Gretchen's words, hell yeah! I love this cd, with Gretchen's first album there were a few songs that I could skip and never miss them. With All Jacked Up I would never dare hit the skip button. Way better than Here for the Party.
While it is hard to pick a favorite song, I have to say that "California Girls" is my favorite. Way to go girl, the Hollywood Types get on my last nerve too.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
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5.0 out of 5 stars
"All Jacked Up" From 11 Time Award Winner (Grammy,CMA, ACM, AMA, etc) - Grethen Wilson !!!!
Overall, this is a great cd by Gretchen, the "original redneck woman". I liked the songs: "All Jacked Up", "California Girls", "Skoal Ring", "One Bud Wiser", "Policially...
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Published 8 months ago by Gary Covington
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An Amazon.com Best of 2005 selection.
~ Gretchen Wilson
~ Gretchen Wilson
DVD ~ Gretchen Wilson
~ Miranda Lambert
~ Miranda Lambert
is Gretchen Wilson's 
