Some Hearts

Carrie Underwood: Biff Watson, Bryan Sutton (acoustic guitar); Dann Huff, Tom Bukovac, JT Corenflos (electric guitar); Mike Johnson, Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Jonathan Yudkin (dobro, mandolin, fiddle); Adam Steffey (mandolin); Joel Derouin, Sid Page, Roberto Cani, Michael B. Markman, Josefina Vergara, Michele Richards, Susan Chatman, Alyssa J. Park, Mario De Leon, Endre Granat, Julian Hallmark, Tereza Stanislav, Denyse Buffum, Andrew Duckles, Matt Funes, Shanti Randall (violin); Jim VanCleve (fiddle); Suzie Katayama, Larry Corbett, Daniel Smith, Steve Richards (cello); Matt Rollings (piano); Steve Nathan, Charlie Judge (keyboards); Jimmie Lee Sloas (bass instrument); Chris McHugh, Lonnie Wilson (drums); Eric Darken (percussion); Hillary Lindsey, Wes Hightower, Perry Coleman, Morgane Hayes (background vocals).
Country purists may take offense at finding American Idol winner Carrie Underwood's debut album in the country section. An unabashedly manufactured commercial product, SOME HEARTS is the sound of mainstream country in the 2000s heavily steeped in glossy pop. There's nothing downhome or roots-conscious about Underwood's voice or looks: she's the pretty blonde next door with a fine singing voice, but the powers that be have made her a country artist, and that's what the public gets.
None of this is to say that SOME HEARTS is not a good pop album. The combination of Underwood's considerable gift and the slick, spot-on production of Dan Huff and Mark Bright makes for a fine package. Even on somewhat by-the-numbers tunes (like her smash hit "Inside Your Heaven"), Underwood sings with conviction, and she does well with both the ballads and the uptempo tracks. Idol viewers and fans of artists like Faith Hill and Shania Twain will want to check this out.

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