Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride
Mar 16, 2008 9:11:23 GMT -5
Post by Carriefan0209 on Mar 16, 2008 9:11:23 GMT -5
Mar 16, 2008 9:07:36 GMT -5 @logansgrandma said:
From the 9513:Underwood is the Perfect Choice for New Grand Ole Opry
Matt C | March 16th, 2008 Email Share
For the Grand Ole Opry, Carrie Underwood is a dream come true. The Opry is an institution whose survival depends on maintaining a precarious balance between artistic and commercial appeal and tradition and modern music, and the early 2000s haven’t produced an abundance of artists who meet these criteria.
Enter Carrie Underwood, an Oklahoma farm girl of undeniable talent and record-breaking commercial success and critical acclaim. Underwood’s debut album Some Hearts may have lacked the crying fiddles of Sara Evans’ Three Chords and the Truth and the Alabama twang of Ashton Shepherd’s Sounds So Good, but Underwood’s big Broadway voice and mature interpretations demonstrated, in the spirit of fellow Opry members Trisha Yearwood and Martina McBride, that there is such a thing as quality pop-country. Here was a girl who wasn’t afraid to sing about Jesus and didn’t need to throw away 80 years of history and craft a pop-remix of “Before He Cheats” to score a crossover hit. When Some Hearts sold seven million copies and Underwood became a national media darling while making regular guest appearances on the Opry, the Grand Old Opry had itself the perfect new member.
The Opry has always placed a high value on commercial viability in its membership decisions but Carrie’s induction presents an opportunity that was absent from the recent inductions of hit makers Josh Turner and Dierks Bentley. Carrie’s induction is sure to earn national, cross-genre media attention while allowing the Opry to present to the world an artist whose body of work it can be proud of and claim as part of its own heritage.
Carrie gives the Opry what it desperately needs: a high-profile opportunity to continue recasting the institution’s image to ensure its perpetuation. Were the Opry only a traditional country radio program, it would be more than susceptible to charges of anachronism. Instead, the Opry has successfully reinvented itself as a must-see tourist attraction, and endearing slice of Americana and the standard-bearer of country music. That’s why Carrie played to a full house on Saturday night and it’s why those in attendance cheered just as loudly for Little Jimmy Dickens, Bill Anderson and the Opry Square Dancers. The Opry needs Carrie Underwood, and all those who love country music should welcome her with open arms.
Matt C | March 16th, 2008 Email Share
For the Grand Ole Opry, Carrie Underwood is a dream come true. The Opry is an institution whose survival depends on maintaining a precarious balance between artistic and commercial appeal and tradition and modern music, and the early 2000s haven’t produced an abundance of artists who meet these criteria.
Enter Carrie Underwood, an Oklahoma farm girl of undeniable talent and record-breaking commercial success and critical acclaim. Underwood’s debut album Some Hearts may have lacked the crying fiddles of Sara Evans’ Three Chords and the Truth and the Alabama twang of Ashton Shepherd’s Sounds So Good, but Underwood’s big Broadway voice and mature interpretations demonstrated, in the spirit of fellow Opry members Trisha Yearwood and Martina McBride, that there is such a thing as quality pop-country. Here was a girl who wasn’t afraid to sing about Jesus and didn’t need to throw away 80 years of history and craft a pop-remix of “Before He Cheats” to score a crossover hit. When Some Hearts sold seven million copies and Underwood became a national media darling while making regular guest appearances on the Opry, the Grand Old Opry had itself the perfect new member.
The Opry has always placed a high value on commercial viability in its membership decisions but Carrie’s induction presents an opportunity that was absent from the recent inductions of hit makers Josh Turner and Dierks Bentley. Carrie’s induction is sure to earn national, cross-genre media attention while allowing the Opry to present to the world an artist whose body of work it can be proud of and claim as part of its own heritage.
Carrie gives the Opry what it desperately needs: a high-profile opportunity to continue recasting the institution’s image to ensure its perpetuation. Were the Opry only a traditional country radio program, it would be more than susceptible to charges of anachronism. Instead, the Opry has successfully reinvented itself as a must-see tourist attraction, and endearing slice of Americana and the standard-bearer of country music. That’s why Carrie played to a full house on Saturday night and it’s why those in attendance cheered just as loudly for Little Jimmy Dickens, Bill Anderson and the Opry Square Dancers. The Opry needs Carrie Underwood, and all those who love country music should welcome her with open arms.
www.the9513.com/underwood-is-the-perfect-choice-for-new-grand-ole-opry/