By Danielle Smith
Staff Writer
Carrie Underwood tells the tales of strong women through her emotional catchy new album, “Storyteller”. This album is the American country music singer’s fifth studio album. Despite ten years passing since Underwood’s solo career breakout from American Idol, she still stays true to her traditional country roots, but incorporates a slight modern flair in her latest album.
Underwood’s lyrics effectively tell a story in each of the thirteen tracks, focusing on breakups and falling in love, while adding a new twist that makes women feel empowered rather than weak. These lyrics become repetitive however making the album feel redundant.
In each track on “Storyteller”, there is a wonderful balance between high and low points. Most of the tracks begin slow and build to a climatic middle before fading. Using percussion instruments, Underwood successfully creates explosive moments that add strength and personality to the more flirty songs.
The album features a variety of melodies, making each song unique and interesting. Exciting, upbeat notes in the opening song, “Renegade Runaway”, fade within the first half of the album picking up again with the quirky “Choctaw County Affair”. The last song, “What I Never Knew I Always Wanted”, closes the album in a dreamy, romantic mood that leaves the listener feeling energized.
Carrie Underwood paid tribute to her country upbringing by incorporating unusual country inspired instruments including accordions, banjos, harmonicas and banjos. The variety of sounds produced by these instruments creates a dynamic and intriguing harmony. Paired with Underwood’s robust voice, a distinctive sound is created that is familiar to fans of Underwood’s earlier country themed works.
The lead single of “Storyteller”, “Smoke Break,” is a highlight of the album. The catchy tune features strong vocals and a unique use of hands clapping to the beat, creating a feeling of empowerment. “Smoke Break” is a dramatic track that accurately represents Underwood’s rising fame.
However, it is apparent that there are multiple filler songs including “Chaser” and “Mexico” specifically. “Chaser” is the least engaging song in the album due to it being very drawn out and almost a minute longer than any other songs. This blatant lack of effort diminishes the overall quality of the album.
There are also many times throughout the album in which the songs become boring and repetitive with rough transitions and lyrics too complex to follow. The album would have benefited from being a few tracks shorter and rearranged in order to make the album more smooth and cohesive.
When first listening to the album, the story woven into each song is distracting. In order to focus on the lyrics and their meaning, the listener cannot enjoy the music itself, but after a second listen, the songs seem to come to life and one can appreciate the overall experience of each song.
As a whole, “Storyteller” is Carrie Underwood’s most impressive album to date, with songs such as “Smoke Break” and “What I Never Knew I Always Wanted” highlighting Underwood’s talent and success as a solo artist.
“Storyteller” is now available for purchase on iTunes for $9.99, or for free on streaming websites including Spotify, SoundCloud and YouTube.
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