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All rights reserved.Greatest Hits - McBride, Martina (CD 2001)
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Great just the way she isReview created: 06/09/03
by: hawkbee -- a member of Epinions
Pros:
Martina's voice, some great songs, great deal of effort and care went into making it.
Martina's voice, some great songs, great deal of effort and care went into making it.
Cons:
Some not-so-great songs we've heard too much already.
Some not-so-great songs we've heard too much already.
I'm not much for polish - I don't really mean production, but mostly vocals. I'm not a Whitney, Mariah, or Celine fan. I prefer a rawer vocal sound - uniqueness, if you will. A perfect-pitch vocal performance combined with perfect production with perfect session players and perfect songwriters usually spells "pass it" for me, but I'm willing to make an exception.
When I am in the mood for polish, I at least want some style. I love Martina McBride's voice. More for her willingness to actually stretch it than for the actual performances she gives, sometimes. She's got better vocal chops than Faith Hill and Shania Twain. She picks better songs. So why hasn't the world outside of Nashville caught on? They have, in spurts, but she's never made it onto the staple pop lists like her contemporaries, and I'm not exactly sure why. Her music does have more of a country flare compared to Faith and Shania, but her voice could exist very well in power pop land (unlike, for example, Lee Ann Womack, Sara Evans, or Natalie Maines). I suppose it either just hasn't caught on, hasn't been pushed, or just isn't non-CMT material.
I mildly enjoy Faith and Shania at times, but fail to see what the big deal is about either of them. It's not that I have George Jones-itis and want to complain about "country not being country," but I think in setting a foot in both genres Hill and Twain compromised quite a bit, and not in their favor. I don't care what genre they sing in, or even if they want to try two or three, but both seem to plod along unwilling to stretch themselves for fear of losing their credibility in both worlds. Martina is not my favorite artist of this nature, and she's not changed her style all that much, but I think she tends to choose songs that will improve her as a vocalist, performer, and producer. She tends to stay just outside of the safe country material line, and her songs usually have some meat on their bones. While the arrangements may not be terribly original and the lyrics sometimes contrived, the conviction and passion in Martina's voice seem to make the bad qualities worth overlooking.
That said, 2001 was a little early for a greatest hits project, I would say. But that leaves less room for missteps and more for the memorable material spanning Martina's ten-year career. Martina obviously wanted this to be a deeply personal project with a lot of thought put into it, which I admire and appreciate considering most albums of such a nature are thrown together on a low budget by the record label.
The liner notes don't contain lyrics as usual on such collections, but instead includes "conversations" of sorts between Martina and producer Paul Worley about each of the eighteen songs. They're not particularly insight into the songs themselves as Martina nor Paul had a hand in writing any of them, but more reflections on them from their standpoint on the impact they had on the albums they were originally featured on or on Martina's career, or stories of how they were recorded or selected.
The songs themselves are chronicled simply by album. Tracks one through four are from The Way That I Am, five and six are from Wild Angels, seven through eleven from Evolution, and twelve through fourteen from Emotion. (The remaining four are all new, previously unreleased songs recorded for the project.) This bugs me, because I like to see an album rather than a collection, even with things such as these. Wouldn't it flow better if they were worked and sequenced as an album? Oh well. I suppose it's for the sake of consistency, but it's darn annoying to me.
Surprisingly (or not?) her debut album is skipped entirely and things roll off right away with Martina's first big hit, "My Baby Loves Me." I've never been too fond of this song, but I admire its spunk and aggressive musical nature. It's an enjoyable song that's not really meant to be thought about too hard, I guess. The electric guitar and drums are pleasantly dominant in several parts, fairly untypical for a country song (at least in those days). The song's lyrics about a girl's beau loving her just the way she is and admiring all her quirks and accepting her faults is a fairly universal one, as proven by the fact that this song almost hit number one and made Martina a household name.
"Life #9" is more on the typical, safe-country musical side, but still fairly enjoyable due to Martina's delivery. In the liner notes Martina says it's not one of her favorites; understandable, but still an enjoyable song. I like it better than "My Baby Loves Me," because while that one has a kind of lovesick spunk, this song has real attitude, which is always great in country music. Nice fiddle solos.
"Independence Day," aka Martina's career-defining song, is nicely placed at track number three. Martina's social-conscience side started to develop with this song, and her vocal delivery is superb. The song's lyrics depict a story of the turmoil caused by domestic abuse (and suicide, to a degree), as I'm sure everyone knows. I was just a little kid when this song hit radio, but I remember it's all anybody talked about for weeks. I don't know if I would call it a risky song to record or anything, but it definitely shook up radio.
"Strangers" was never a single, though Martina writes she always wanted it to be and regrets not releasing it as one. I don't know why it's such a favorite, though it's a decent song. It's got a nice piano as the backdrop and some slightly predictable lyrics about a couple who met on the street, fell in love, got divorced... I don't know, I'm not jumping with joy over it. As usual Martina's vocal delivery make it worth listening to, and the musings about what makes people "strangers" when they were in love are fairly thought-provoking.
"Safe In the Arms of Love" has a catchy, catchy, catchy melody and beat. Another one that hasn't got much depth to it - it's pretty easy to figure out by looking at the title, but I really enjoy the guitar picking on the chorus and before the second verse. The vocals are great - the background vocals are almost enjoyable as Martina's lead. Martina described it well herself - "pure ear candy."
"Wild Angels" opens with a great guitar intro and then the drums kick in to dominate the song. This was Martina's first number one, understandably, with its happy-go-lucky, naive lyrics about a couple with a slightly turbulent relationship. I'm not too fond of it, but it was obviously sure-fire hit material and connected with quite a few folks.
"Valentine" features Jim Brickman on piano (was also co-written by him) and has some terribly sappy lyrics (and music). It sounds like a Celine Dion reject, or the result of a bad blind date Christina Aguilera's "I Turn to You" and "My Heart Will Go On" went on. It has a slightly redeeming piano melody, but the song tries too hard all the way around. Unforgivably sappy.
"A Broken Wing" is another song I remember well - another socially conscience piece, once again addressing abuse (verbal, this time around) and suicide. I do believe I like this one better than "Independence Day," dare I say, because the nice gospel-tinged feel and Martina's soulful performance. Her conviction is always amazing, but this is one of the best examples of that. I love the piano near the end.
"Happy Girl"... ah. I find this song to be ultimately forgettable. What was it about again? Oh yeah... a happy girl. She's happy. She wasn't. But she is now. Nice to know. Unfortunately the song has an annoyingly catchy beat, so it's hard to get rid of. The vocal even seems to be a step down. Was this really a hit? God help whoever made it one.
"Wrong Again" is one of my favorite Martina songs. It has a gorgeous melody, one of my favorites. I remember when Martina debuted this song on an awards show - my grandmother laughed when she said "wrong again." It is kind of funny the first few times - kind of like she's making fun of herself. "Oh, another loser." But this song is really more emotional than that. I love how the choruses are all different and it doesn't really have a happy or bummed out ending. I love it all.
"Whatever You Say" is my official favorite. I can't tell you how much I love this song. I can't think of one thing wrong with it. The fiddle is delicious here; not just the solo but the use of it throughout the song. This was another song of Martina's to hit radio hard, thanks to many factors: the universalness of the lyrics, for one. I think everyone can relate to the lines "I know you can hear me/ But I'm not sure you're listening". Martina's vocals are flawless here; the verses are firm and understated, and the chorus is big. Her delivery is perfect and unflinching, even on that insanely long note she holds at the end. The instrumental fade-out is great, too. The whole thing is amazing.
Why did Martina ever record this song? "I Love You" made big waves on radio (even had success at pop) and was also a part of the movie Runaway Bride. The movie was big, pop/country was big, this song was huge. I hate it. Martina's girly, breathy vocals annoy the snot out of me, not to mention the lyrics. "Can hardly wait till our next kiss/ You're so cool"? Hmmm. The disco-y beat and pathetic bass line are sad, sad, sad. Whose idea was it for this song to even exist?
When Emotion came out, I loved "Love's the Only House." I don't hate it now, but it's cheesy and rather pointless in the long run. The spoken-word verses are pure Velveta, and the chorus consists of one phrase: "Love the only house big enough for all the pain in the world." Yeah. Nice thought. The second verse really confuses me - here we are, in the middle of all the hunger, abuse, hate, depression - and Martina stops to tell an ex she's married with a kid and he should get over it because he was selfish. I don't know, I find that rather non-cohesive.
"There You Are" is kind of a ridiculous inclusion to me; "It's My Time," from the same album, had a lot more attitude and spunk, not to mention a more memorable... everything. "There You Are" is a standard piano ballad. Yes, we know, there he is, always there for you, let's move on...
Here the new material starts. The first of the four new songs is "When God-Fearin' Women Get the Blues," which opens with a spoken intro that is rather pointlessly listed as a separate track. It's a good ole aggressive country tune - sounds like something Shania would write and record. It doesn't really work for Martina. The song doesn't showcase her voice very well, but it's fun and mindless. I've listened to it maybe twice.
Lock up the beauty shops
No tellin' if they heard the news
Call the boys downtown at Neiman Marcus
Tell 'em lock up them high heeled shoes
"Where Would You Be" is my second favorite tune from Martina. I saw her do this at the 2002 ACM's, I believe, and was immediately impressed by it. It's such a beautiful song all the way around; I love it. Martina's vocals are perfect - both in pitch and mood. I love the music, too, particularly the guitar and piano. The lyrics are painstakingly honest and gorgeous. Martina remarks in the liner notes that this is the hardest song she's ever sang, but she sounds effortless on the track. I just adore this song completely - it's raw emotion.
Do you feel lonely when you're here by my side?
Does the sound of freedom echo in your mind?
The latest single from Martina (and oddly enough, all four of the new songs on here have become singles over the past year) is the piano ballad "Concrete Angel". Just like her past social issue songs, this song caused quite a buzz. It's quite a tearjerker in the light that it's about child abuse and a very real story, but not something I listen to much, if ever. I appreciate Martina's willingness to put it all on the line, but the song resonates a bit on the sappy side and heavy-handed, I hate to say. Maybe if it packed a punch musically like "Independence Day" or "A Broken Wing."
But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place where she's loved
Concrete angel
The final song is "Blessed," a catchy song about how Martina's, well, blessed. It's on the contrived side of things, but tolerable thanks to the upbeat delivery. Martina's vocals enraptured and joyful, and it's a nice warm fuzzy song, but not really my idea of a particularly great song.
I have been blessed
And I feel like I've found my way
I'm not a full-time Martina fan, but I always appreciate her. She's got one of my favorite voices and picks some great songs. I'd recommend this to folks who like her but don't have all her albums - casual fans. Actually, die-hard ones too, although they probably already have it. The extra care that went into this project is evident and very much appreciated on my end of the deal. Hats off to Martina for being so cool about making a greatest hits.
When I am in the mood for polish, I at least want some style. I love Martina McBride's voice. More for her willingness to actually stretch it than for the actual performances she gives, sometimes. She's got better vocal chops than Faith Hill and Shania Twain. She picks better songs. So why hasn't the world outside of Nashville caught on? They have, in spurts, but she's never made it onto the staple pop lists like her contemporaries, and I'm not exactly sure why. Her music does have more of a country flare compared to Faith and Shania, but her voice could exist very well in power pop land (unlike, for example, Lee Ann Womack, Sara Evans, or Natalie Maines). I suppose it either just hasn't caught on, hasn't been pushed, or just isn't non-CMT material.
I mildly enjoy Faith and Shania at times, but fail to see what the big deal is about either of them. It's not that I have George Jones-itis and want to complain about "country not being country," but I think in setting a foot in both genres Hill and Twain compromised quite a bit, and not in their favor. I don't care what genre they sing in, or even if they want to try two or three, but both seem to plod along unwilling to stretch themselves for fear of losing their credibility in both worlds. Martina is not my favorite artist of this nature, and she's not changed her style all that much, but I think she tends to choose songs that will improve her as a vocalist, performer, and producer. She tends to stay just outside of the safe country material line, and her songs usually have some meat on their bones. While the arrangements may not be terribly original and the lyrics sometimes contrived, the conviction and passion in Martina's voice seem to make the bad qualities worth overlooking.
That said, 2001 was a little early for a greatest hits project, I would say. But that leaves less room for missteps and more for the memorable material spanning Martina's ten-year career. Martina obviously wanted this to be a deeply personal project with a lot of thought put into it, which I admire and appreciate considering most albums of such a nature are thrown together on a low budget by the record label.
The liner notes don't contain lyrics as usual on such collections, but instead includes "conversations" of sorts between Martina and producer Paul Worley about each of the eighteen songs. They're not particularly insight into the songs themselves as Martina nor Paul had a hand in writing any of them, but more reflections on them from their standpoint on the impact they had on the albums they were originally featured on or on Martina's career, or stories of how they were recorded or selected.
The songs themselves are chronicled simply by album. Tracks one through four are from The Way That I Am, five and six are from Wild Angels, seven through eleven from Evolution, and twelve through fourteen from Emotion. (The remaining four are all new, previously unreleased songs recorded for the project.) This bugs me, because I like to see an album rather than a collection, even with things such as these. Wouldn't it flow better if they were worked and sequenced as an album? Oh well. I suppose it's for the sake of consistency, but it's darn annoying to me.
Surprisingly (or not?) her debut album is skipped entirely and things roll off right away with Martina's first big hit, "My Baby Loves Me." I've never been too fond of this song, but I admire its spunk and aggressive musical nature. It's an enjoyable song that's not really meant to be thought about too hard, I guess. The electric guitar and drums are pleasantly dominant in several parts, fairly untypical for a country song (at least in those days). The song's lyrics about a girl's beau loving her just the way she is and admiring all her quirks and accepting her faults is a fairly universal one, as proven by the fact that this song almost hit number one and made Martina a household name.
"Life #9" is more on the typical, safe-country musical side, but still fairly enjoyable due to Martina's delivery. In the liner notes Martina says it's not one of her favorites; understandable, but still an enjoyable song. I like it better than "My Baby Loves Me," because while that one has a kind of lovesick spunk, this song has real attitude, which is always great in country music. Nice fiddle solos.
"Independence Day," aka Martina's career-defining song, is nicely placed at track number three. Martina's social-conscience side started to develop with this song, and her vocal delivery is superb. The song's lyrics depict a story of the turmoil caused by domestic abuse (and suicide, to a degree), as I'm sure everyone knows. I was just a little kid when this song hit radio, but I remember it's all anybody talked about for weeks. I don't know if I would call it a risky song to record or anything, but it definitely shook up radio.
"Strangers" was never a single, though Martina writes she always wanted it to be and regrets not releasing it as one. I don't know why it's such a favorite, though it's a decent song. It's got a nice piano as the backdrop and some slightly predictable lyrics about a couple who met on the street, fell in love, got divorced... I don't know, I'm not jumping with joy over it. As usual Martina's vocal delivery make it worth listening to, and the musings about what makes people "strangers" when they were in love are fairly thought-provoking.
"Safe In the Arms of Love" has a catchy, catchy, catchy melody and beat. Another one that hasn't got much depth to it - it's pretty easy to figure out by looking at the title, but I really enjoy the guitar picking on the chorus and before the second verse. The vocals are great - the background vocals are almost enjoyable as Martina's lead. Martina described it well herself - "pure ear candy."
"Wild Angels" opens with a great guitar intro and then the drums kick in to dominate the song. This was Martina's first number one, understandably, with its happy-go-lucky, naive lyrics about a couple with a slightly turbulent relationship. I'm not too fond of it, but it was obviously sure-fire hit material and connected with quite a few folks.
"Valentine" features Jim Brickman on piano (was also co-written by him) and has some terribly sappy lyrics (and music). It sounds like a Celine Dion reject, or the result of a bad blind date Christina Aguilera's "I Turn to You" and "My Heart Will Go On" went on. It has a slightly redeeming piano melody, but the song tries too hard all the way around. Unforgivably sappy.
"A Broken Wing" is another song I remember well - another socially conscience piece, once again addressing abuse (verbal, this time around) and suicide. I do believe I like this one better than "Independence Day," dare I say, because the nice gospel-tinged feel and Martina's soulful performance. Her conviction is always amazing, but this is one of the best examples of that. I love the piano near the end.
"Happy Girl"... ah. I find this song to be ultimately forgettable. What was it about again? Oh yeah... a happy girl. She's happy. She wasn't. But she is now. Nice to know. Unfortunately the song has an annoyingly catchy beat, so it's hard to get rid of. The vocal even seems to be a step down. Was this really a hit? God help whoever made it one.
"Wrong Again" is one of my favorite Martina songs. It has a gorgeous melody, one of my favorites. I remember when Martina debuted this song on an awards show - my grandmother laughed when she said "wrong again." It is kind of funny the first few times - kind of like she's making fun of herself. "Oh, another loser." But this song is really more emotional than that. I love how the choruses are all different and it doesn't really have a happy or bummed out ending. I love it all.
"Whatever You Say" is my official favorite. I can't tell you how much I love this song. I can't think of one thing wrong with it. The fiddle is delicious here; not just the solo but the use of it throughout the song. This was another song of Martina's to hit radio hard, thanks to many factors: the universalness of the lyrics, for one. I think everyone can relate to the lines "I know you can hear me/ But I'm not sure you're listening". Martina's vocals are flawless here; the verses are firm and understated, and the chorus is big. Her delivery is perfect and unflinching, even on that insanely long note she holds at the end. The instrumental fade-out is great, too. The whole thing is amazing.
Why did Martina ever record this song? "I Love You" made big waves on radio (even had success at pop) and was also a part of the movie Runaway Bride. The movie was big, pop/country was big, this song was huge. I hate it. Martina's girly, breathy vocals annoy the snot out of me, not to mention the lyrics. "Can hardly wait till our next kiss/ You're so cool"? Hmmm. The disco-y beat and pathetic bass line are sad, sad, sad. Whose idea was it for this song to even exist?
When Emotion came out, I loved "Love's the Only House." I don't hate it now, but it's cheesy and rather pointless in the long run. The spoken-word verses are pure Velveta, and the chorus consists of one phrase: "Love the only house big enough for all the pain in the world." Yeah. Nice thought. The second verse really confuses me - here we are, in the middle of all the hunger, abuse, hate, depression - and Martina stops to tell an ex she's married with a kid and he should get over it because he was selfish. I don't know, I find that rather non-cohesive.
"There You Are" is kind of a ridiculous inclusion to me; "It's My Time," from the same album, had a lot more attitude and spunk, not to mention a more memorable... everything. "There You Are" is a standard piano ballad. Yes, we know, there he is, always there for you, let's move on...
Here the new material starts. The first of the four new songs is "When God-Fearin' Women Get the Blues," which opens with a spoken intro that is rather pointlessly listed as a separate track. It's a good ole aggressive country tune - sounds like something Shania would write and record. It doesn't really work for Martina. The song doesn't showcase her voice very well, but it's fun and mindless. I've listened to it maybe twice.
Lock up the beauty shops
No tellin' if they heard the news
Call the boys downtown at Neiman Marcus
Tell 'em lock up them high heeled shoes
"Where Would You Be" is my second favorite tune from Martina. I saw her do this at the 2002 ACM's, I believe, and was immediately impressed by it. It's such a beautiful song all the way around; I love it. Martina's vocals are perfect - both in pitch and mood. I love the music, too, particularly the guitar and piano. The lyrics are painstakingly honest and gorgeous. Martina remarks in the liner notes that this is the hardest song she's ever sang, but she sounds effortless on the track. I just adore this song completely - it's raw emotion.
Do you feel lonely when you're here by my side?
Does the sound of freedom echo in your mind?
The latest single from Martina (and oddly enough, all four of the new songs on here have become singles over the past year) is the piano ballad "Concrete Angel". Just like her past social issue songs, this song caused quite a buzz. It's quite a tearjerker in the light that it's about child abuse and a very real story, but not something I listen to much, if ever. I appreciate Martina's willingness to put it all on the line, but the song resonates a bit on the sappy side and heavy-handed, I hate to say. Maybe if it packed a punch musically like "Independence Day" or "A Broken Wing."
But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place where she's loved
Concrete angel
The final song is "Blessed," a catchy song about how Martina's, well, blessed. It's on the contrived side of things, but tolerable thanks to the upbeat delivery. Martina's vocals enraptured and joyful, and it's a nice warm fuzzy song, but not really my idea of a particularly great song.
I have been blessed
And I feel like I've found my way
I'm not a full-time Martina fan, but I always appreciate her. She's got one of my favorite voices and picks some great songs. I'd recommend this to folks who like her but don't have all her albums - casual fans. Actually, die-hard ones too, although they probably already have it. The extra care that went into this project is evident and very much appreciated on my end of the deal. Hats off to Martina for being so cool about making a greatest hits.
Review ID: 10000000000524838
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