Comments on: Carrie Underwood — “Blown Away”

By: Roots Watch: Lights in the Country Tunnel? - Engine 145

Roots Watch: Lights in the Country Tunnel? - Engine 145 — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 12:21:55 +0000

[...] (Blake Boldt captured some of the ongoing unease nicely this week with his basically positive Underwood review that notes the record won’t “assuage the fears of those who are concerned about the state of [...]

By: klark

klark — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 09:41:30 +0000

My only complaint with this song is the production. It made her delivery sound distant even she’s fully engaged with it. Otherwise, “Blown Away” is a good song.

By: Jon

Jon — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 14:44:35 +0000

“…could deliver a song without needing to shout above an overly-loud, obnoxious production.”

Do you think records like this are recorded live?

By: Keith

Keith — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 06:21:24 +0000

“Independence Day” 2.0. The only problem is that it’s a major downgrade. Like “Independence Day,” the lyrical content makes me want to love it, but unlike “Independence Day,” the production of “Blown Away” is a serious turn off. It’s sad, because like Martina, Carrie has some serious vocal talents. The only difference is that Martina could deliver a song without needing to shout above an overly-loud, obnoxious production.

By: luckyoldsun

luckyoldsun — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 23:36:15 +0000

“Can you or anyone give me a compelling, convincing argument for why …”

It appears that “the Boldt” has declined to register for your course. I wonder why.

Can you or anyone give a convincing, compelling argument for the “correctness” of their taste in music?
I ain’t holding my breath.

By: Jon

Jon — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 23:15:25 +0000

“…Underwood further challenges the boundaries of the format by singing against a string-laden production with no fiddles or steel guitar in earshot.”

Seems a little late in the game to be calling a string-laden production with no fiddles or steel guitars a challenge to the boundaries of the format.

“The gritty subject matter clashes often with the glossy arrangement.”

Can you or anyone give me a compelling, convincing argument for why “gritty” – that is, serious, dark, emotionally complex, blah blah blah – material is inherently incompatible with sophisticated, complex and expertly realized – a/k/a “glossy” or “polished” – arrangements? Because there certainly isn’t an argument presented here for why it’s incompatible in this particular case, so I can only assume that the underlying belief is that no particular argument need be made since the general case is open-and-shut. And it ain’t.

By: Ben Foster

Ben Foster — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:45:23 +0000

Great review, Blake. I agree that this could have benefited from a less-is-more approach, but also agree that it is a qualified success on the strength of the songwriting as well as Underwood’s inspired interpretation. It’s always great to hear Carrie really flex her muscles as an interpretive singer instead of just going for power.