By Ben Salmon
On her new album Cry Pretty, Carrie Underwood belts out rafters-reaching country anthems, incorporates dance and hip-hop beats into her radio-ready twang-pop and even dips her toe into politically charged waters on a couple of songs.
Those first two are no surprise. Underwood and her huge voice have been amplifying and arena-readying modern country music since she won “American Idol” in 2005 and quickly became one of the genre’s biggest stars. As for the third, it is because she is one of the genre’s biggest stars that Cry Pretty’s benign lyrics about gun violence and equality will get a disproportionate amount of attention. More on that later.
For now, let’s talk about the highs and lows of Underwood’s sixth album. It starts off strong with the title track, a rock-solid lead single that carries a message of acceptance within its booming rock arrangement. “Ghosts On the Stereo” swoops in quickly thereafter to appease Underwood’s country fans with vague smolder and rote references to Hank Williams, Merle Haggard and George Jones. And “Low” is one of Cry Pretty’s best tracks; it’s bluesy vibe and simple lyrics give Underwood room to showcase her voice without sounding like a perfect-pitched robot.
Elsewhere, Underwood nails two tried and true country traditions: the drinking-to-death heart-wrencher (“Spinning Bottles”) and the faith-based, family-first hymn (“Kingdom”), proving both times that big, emotional ballads remain her bread and butter.
