The answer is yes, mostly." The reviews point to a few missteps: her "histrionics on Don Gibson's 'I Can't Stop Loving You'" (L.A. Instead, they heap the praise on McBride for her excellent taste - the New York Times calling "Timeless" an "elegant disc on which she sings a smartly chosen selection of country classics," and Billboard agreeing that her "choice of material is immaculate.Props to McBride for reviving some of country's very best." The album is full of spare, heart-wrenched tunes by country greats like Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn, Buck Owens and Tammy Wynette, and it doesn't hurt that McBride's chosen a modest route to arranging the material that puts the songwriting in the foreground - as the AP puts it, "Country fans who lament that their music has gone slick pop can rejoice with 'Timeless.' Martina McBride - no stranger herself to overproduction - has produced a wonderful compilation of classics."Īs for McBride's performance, the Los Angeles Times (three and a half stars out of four) happily reports that the disc "introduces you to McBride, who hasn't received the pop exposure of Faith Hill or Shania Twain, though she is a more heartfelt country singer than either." Billboard chimes in: "That Martina McBride owns one of the most impressive vocal instruments in Nashville goes without saying, but whether her powerhouse voice is a good match for country standards is another question. This is no less true for country songstress Martina McBride - the reigning Country Music Association's top female vocalist and a Grammy winner - and her new album of old country classics, "Timeless." The reviews are uniformly positive, but mostly focus on song selection and seem to leave aside the question of whether it's an album worth laying down your hard-earned money for. It's the curious fate of cover albums to be received first and foremost for who or what they cover, second for how - crazy new arrangements? a failed attempt at re-recording the original? - and always only last (or not at all) as records of someone performing actual songs.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |