Carnival Ride

Infobox Album |
Name = Carnival Ride
Type = Studio
Artist = Carrie Underwood


Released = start date|2007|10|23
(see release history)
Recorded = 2006-2007
Genre = Country pop
Length = 50:06
Label = Arista, Arista Nashville, 19
Producer = Mark Bright
Executive Producers =
Reviews = * "Allmusic" rating|4|5 [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:k9fuxzlhldke link]
* "Boston Herald" (B) [http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/music/reviews/view.bg?articleid=1039576 link]
* "The Cincinnati Post" (B+) [http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071025/LIFE01/710250348/1006/LIFE link]
* "Entertainment Weekly" (B+) [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20153920,00.html link]
* "New York Times" (Critic's Choice) [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/22/ar...ts&oref=slogin link]
* "Newsday" (B) [http://www.newsday.com/news/columnists/ny-etdrops5427553oct23,0,3773646.column link]
* "Rolling Stone" rating|3.5|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/16861628/review/17118258/carnival_ride link]
* "Slant Magazine" rating|2|5 [http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=1218 link]
* "The 9513" rating|2.5|5 [http://www.the9513.com/album-review-carrie-underwood-carnival-ride/ link]
* "USA Today" rating|3|4 [http://blogs.usatoday.com/listenup/2007/10/this-weeks-re-3.html#more link]
Last album = "Some Hearts"
(2005)
This album = "Carnival Ride"
(2007)
Next album =
Misc =Singles
Name = Carnival Ride
Type = Studio
single 1 = So Small
single 1 date = August 28, 2007
single 2 = All-American Girl
single 2 date = December 17, 2007
single 3 = Last Name
single 3 date = April 7, 2008
single 4 = Just a Dream
single 4 date = July 21, 2008

"Carnival Ride" is the second studio album from American country pop artist Carrie Underwood. It was released in the United States on October 23, 2007.cite press release
url = http://aristanashville.com/pressreleases/details.cfm?artistid=1000011&pressid=1000307
title = Carrie Underwood Invites Fans Along for a Carnival Ride
publisher = Arista Nashville
date = 2007-08-29
accessdate = 2007-08-30] cite news
title = Carrie Underwood plans fall CD release
url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19811621
publisher = MSNBC
date = 2007-07-17
accessdate = 2007-08-06] It has been certified 2× Multi-Platinum by the RIAA.cite press release
title = Carrie Underwood’s Carnival Ride Certified Double Platinum, as 2007 Marks Another Milestone Year!
publisher = Arista Nashville
date = 2007-12-14
url = http://aristanashville.com/pressreleases/details.cfm?artistid=1000011&pressid=1000367
accessdate = 2007-12-16 ] The album includes the #1 country singles "So Small", "All-American Girl" and "Last Name", which are all co-wrote by Underwood. The album debuted at #1 on the US Billboard 200 Chart selling 527,000 copies, giving Underwood her first #1 album.

History

Underwood has explained the meaning behind the album's title and theme, saying:

"Carnival Ride" became Underwood’s first number-one album on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling 527,000 copies in its first week of release.cite news | first = Katie | last = Hasty | title = Underwood Leads Three Country Debuts Onto Chart
url = http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003665671 | work = | publisher = Billboard Magazine| date= 2007-10-31 | accessdate = 2007-10-31 | language = | quote = ] In its second week the album sold less than 190,000 copies. The album also debuted at number 1 on the Top Digital Albums, Top Country Albums, Top Canadian Albums and the United World Chart.

As of September 18, 2008, "Carnival Ride" has been present on the U.S. Billboard 200 for 46 weeks, and it is at #45.

To date, it has sold about 2,340,000 copies in the U.S. Carnival Ride has also been certificated Double Platinum.

The album is nominated in the "Album of the year" category for 2008 CMA Awards of Country Music Association.

Reception

Critical reception of the album so far has been mainly positive. The first official review of the album from Allmusic, gave it 4 out of 5 stars, on par with what they gave her debut. The site classified the album as "completely contemporary country", and said "the remarkable thing about Carnival Ride is that it's stronger song for song than Some Hearts." They also praised the album for having "the appearance of a genuine heart, something that no other big country-pop album has had since the glory days of Come on Over." [cite web
url = http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:k9fuxzlhldke
title = allmusic (Carnival Ride)
publisher = allmusic
accessdate = 2007-10-23 ]

USA Today also praised the album for its versatility saying "The songs call for vulnerability (You Won’t Find This), urgency (Flat on the Floor), sympathy (Crazy Dreams, her co-written salute to “the hairbrush singers and dashboard drummers” from whose ranks she sprang), humor (The More Boys I Meet, the tag line of which goes “The more I love my dog”) and extreme role-playing (Last Name’s saga of a bar pickup that turns into an impulsive Vegas marriage). She delivers on all counts." [cite web
url = http://blogs.usatoday.com/listenup/2007/10/this-weeks-re-3.html#more
title = USA Today (Carnival Ride)
publisher = USA Today
accessdate = 2007-10-24 ] The Boston Herald gave the album a B, and claimed, "Underwood manages enough spunk to occasionally avoid the cookie-cutter." [cite web
url = http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/music/reviews/view.bg?articleid=1039576
title = Boston Herald (Carnival Ride)
publisher = Boston Herald
accessdate = 2007-10-24 ]

Individual tracks

Two of this album's tracks have been previously recorded by other artists. "Flat on the Floor" was previously cut by singer Katrina Elam on her unreleased 2007 album "Turn Me Up", and was a #52 hit on the country charts for her that year. "I Told You So" is a cover of a song previously cut by Randy Travis on his 1988 album "Always & Forever". Travis' version of the song was a Number One hit on the country charts that year.

Singles

"So Small" served as the lead single for the album, debuted on the on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs at #20, making the highest chart entry by a solo country female artist in 43 years of Nielsen BDS history, and eventually stayed at #1 for 3 weeks. It also became her fifth top 20 hit when it peaked #17 on U.S. Billboard Hot 100. "All-American Girl", the second single from the album, continued the success by hitting #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs and stayed there for 2 weeks, and also managed to be a top 40 single on U.S. Billboard Hot 100, peaked #27. The next single, "Last Name", became Carrie's fastest single to hit #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs with 13 weeks, but only managed to stay there for 1 week. It is also Carrie's sixth top 20 hit, reaching #19 on U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The fourth single, "Just a Dream", entered the top five on the country charts in October 2008.

Track listing

#"Flat on the Floor" (Ashley Monroe, Brett James) – 3:18
#"All-American Girl" (Ashley Gorley, Carrie Underwood, Kelley Lovelace) – 3:32
#"So Small" (Luke Laird, Hillary Lindsey, Underwood) – 3:47
#"Just a Dream" (Gordie Sampson, Steven McEwan, H. Lindsey) – 4:44
#"Get Out of This Town" (Sampson, McEwan, H. Lindsey) – 3:02
#"Crazy Dreams" (George Barry Dean, Troy Verges, Underwood) – 3:36
#"I Know You Won't" (Wendell Mobley, Neil Thrasher, McEwan) – 4:19
#"Last Name" (Laird, Lindsey, Underwood) – 4:01
#"You Won't Find This" (Cathy Dennis, Tom Shapiro) – 3:19
#"I Told You So" (Randy Travis) – 4:17
#"The More Boys I Meet" (Scott Kennedy, McEwan) – 3:33
#"Twisted" (Laird, H. Lindsey, James) – 3:56
#"Wheel of the World" (H. Lindsey, Chris Lindsey, Aimee Mayo) – 4:42

Target Special Edition

Limited Edition CD/DVD versions were available at Target. The DVD included live acoustic performances, as well as a five-part interview.

14. "So Small"
15. "Get Out of This Town"
16. "Just a Dream"
17. "The More Boys I Meet"

Platinum Musicpass

A special digital copy was released on January 15, 2008, which included a new unreleased track and two music videos.

14. "Sometimes You Leave" (Chris Tompkins, Kara Dioguardi, Shridhar Solanki) – 4:16
15. "So Small" (video only)
16. "Before He Cheats" (video only)

Holiday Deluxe Edition

On October 21, 2008, a 2-disc set will be released at Wal-Mart. The second CD will contain five Christmas tracks, of which all were available for radio download on September 29, 2008

1. "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"
2. "O Holy Night"
3. "The First Noel"
4. "What Child Is This?"
5. "Do You Hear What I Hear"

Release History

;Notes
*A ^ Current single.
*B ^ "Just a Dream" charted for one week on the Pop 100 under unsolicited airplay in 2007 where it peaked at #96.

References