As Tuesday loomed, Carrie Underwood was becoming nervous.
"It’s so anticipated. Not just by the public, but by us too," she said on her latest album in an interview with the Associated Press. "The whole ‘Can we top the first one?’ mind-set sets in."
Underwood can breathe a little easier now that Carnival Ride has been released.
By continuing to use upbeat country tones and a deep, but sweet, country voice, Underwood is an unstoppable female force in country music.
Her first single off the album, "So Small," is a life-changing song. Underwood emphasizes love and how every other issue can seem so much smaller and less important in comparison.
Another touching song, "Just a Dream" will hit close to home with those that have lost the love of their life overseas. Underwood allows her powerful voice to take the lyrics above anything else on the album. This song takes listeners from the wedding of a young couple to the funeral of the husband and shows how important life is and how it can change in the blink of an eye.
On a lighter note, Underwood touches on father-daughter relationships with "All-American Girl." A little girl’s smile can melt her daddy’s heart easier than anything else can. Even though that smile can melt the heart of a dad, it can also make him very protective, but it’s always in a cute way. Underwood’s bouncy voice brings a very "All-American" feel to the song.
"Crazy Dreams" is the song that speaks about Underwood’s life since American Idol. From holding a hairbrush and singing in the mirror or playing an air guitar, anyone’s crazy dreams can come true at any time, and Underwood is the poster girl for crazy dreams.
"I Know You Won’t" and "You Won’t Find This" show how a woman feels when she is treated like she is replaceable. In "I Know You Won’t," a woman waits for a call that she knows will never come, and in "You Won’t Find This" Carrie sings, "In the end close is all there is/ But you won’t find this." This song gives the feeling of the old saying, "you don’t know what you have until it’s gone."
Underwood’s powerful voice lets listeners feel everything she feels when she sings. Her soft tones and explosive choruses bring anyone into the same feeling, even though they may never have felt that way before.
The final song, "Wheel of the World," pulls the album together and offers Underwood’s view on life. This is where the title of the album comes from. Life is one big carnival ride, one big wheel turning around. A life will begin and a final breath will be taken. A love will come and another love will go out like the flame of a candle. Everything in life is always moving.
The rest of Underwood’s album has a powerful message for everyone. From getting a bit tipsy in "Last Name" to singing about a guy who is not getting it in "Twisted," the album has a good laugh and a good cry for everyone. That is what life is, one big Carnival Ride.
