Carrie Underwood – Cry Pretty

By: Brandon Moran

The sixth studio album from American Idol alum Carrie Underwood has proven that she is stronger and better than she has ever been. Cry Pretty is her first album since she unexpectedly had to undergo cosmetic surgery to her face after an accident that left her with multiple injuries. Underwood has come back to the music scene ready to conquer it again.

Having been a fan of Carrie since the American Idol days, I was highly anticipating this album and I could not wait to listen. While I think it’s a great album, I don’t know if it is an album I would listen to on repeat. Typically when I like an album, I will listen to it on repeat until I wear it out and I don’t see that happening with this album.

The album opens strong with the title track “Cry Pretty,” leaving you emotional but full of power to fight through anything you’re going through. After that is where I start to get a little disappointed. The next two tracks, “Ghosts on the Stereo” and “Low” leave me feeling ‘meh’ and a little discouraged to listen to the rest. Thankfully, the album picks up by track 4 with “Backsliding” and continues through the rest of the album. The thing I love most about Carrie’s music is that there is always a story with her songs. Yes, she still writes from her own experiences, but she also has songs that tell stories from different perspectives of different people. I find it super intriguing because she’s been doing it since the beginning of her career, like with her chart-topper “Jesus, Take the Wheel.”

The biggest stand-out on this album is the track, “Love Wins.” In country music, politics and social issues are a taboo topic sometimes; you’re either a conservative or you don’t talk about it. But, I’ve found that country music and artists has gotten majorly progressive over the past few years. With “Love Wins,” Carrie is taking a stand and saying that she does not care who you love, how you identify and how you live your life. In the bridge, Carrie sings “Love is power, love is a smile. Love reaches out, love is the remedy. Love is the answer, love’s an open door. Love is the only thing worth fighting for, yeah” and I can’t help but feel all of the emotions of happiness. I take pride in knowing that one of my favorite artists supports one of the social issues that I am so passionate about. This track was the biggest turning point for me on the album.

This is a great album; it’s carefully crafted and has that signature Carrie style to it. I am left with wanting more relatability from this album like I have on her past albums, but nonetheless I will give her the credit she very well deserves. I would not be surprised if she was a top contender for the Grammy’s in 2020.

Favorite Tracks: “Love Wins,” “That Song We Used To Make Love To,” “Spinning Bottles”

Rating: 7/10