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Blown Away (album)

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Untitled

Blown Away is the fourth studio album from American country singer Carrie Underwood. It was released in the United States and Canada on May 1, 2012.[1]

The album debuted at number one on Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 267,000 copies. It became the second-largest opening of 2012. With Blown Away hitting number one, Underwood became the third female to chart at number one on the Billboard 200 with three country albums, tying her with Linda Ronstadt and Faith Hill.[2] Like her three previous albums, Blown Away debuted at the top of the Country Albums chart, making Underwood the second female to send every album released to number one, along with Miranda Lambert.[3] The album remained at number one for a second week on the Billboard 200, becoming Underwood's first album to spend more than one week at the top.[4]

Background

After finishing the Play On Tour, Underwood took her time working on Blown Away. She stated that she "wanted to change things up", and she needed to step away from the "celebrity bubble" to "have real things to write about and real things to sing about."|[5]

Underwood has stated that this album will contain material that is different from her previous efforts. She has stated that she isn't trying to impress people with what [she] can do" and she doesn't "have to sing to the moon with every single song" with this project. The lead single, "Good Girl," is said to be the album's most upbeat track, with the other tracks creating a much darker record.[6]

The album combines country, pop, and rock genres.[7]

Reception

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic71/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[9]
American Songwriter[10]
Rolling Stone[11]
Country Weekly[12]
Slant Magazine[13]
Billboard89/100[14]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[15]
Los Angeles Times[16]

Blown Away received positive reviews from music critics. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 71 based on 10 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic gave a positive review to the album, awarding it with four stars out of five and said: naturally, this showstopping act suits a former American Idol winner but, better still, this exercise in turn-of-the-millennium nostalgia is executed with skill and savvy, offering the kind of larger-than-life power ballads and cheerful, clomping arena country. This is Carrie's wheelhouse—she's meant to sing these oversized ballads and hooks, she's meant to look as unattainable as she does on the cover. She's meant to be a superstar and she's never seemed as comfortable with her calling as she does on Blown Away. Deborah Evans Price of Billboard praised the album, saying, "Underwood delivers her most adventurous album yet, tackling a variety of emotional topics, including abuse, infidelity, revenge and regret."[17] Ian Ewing of Keepin' It Country rated the album 9.5 on a scale of 10, and highlighted the title track, saying, "Although there's nothing to mark it as a country song, it's a stunning piece of music that can't help but impress."[18] Daryl Addison of GAC praised the album, saying, "Carrie doesn't shy away from complexities, and with a powerful voice unafraid to push the envelope, Blown Away could be just the album to show what's possible for pop-influenced country."[19] Jessica Nicholson of Country Weekly rated the album with four stars out of five and said: "This is easily Carrie’s most well-rounded and confident work to date". The New York Times gave a positive review to the album and said: Ms. Underwood enjoys rage; her huge voice, both naïve and muscular, is well suited to it. Her best songs have historically been in the range between fury and resentment. “Blown Away” is only her fourth album, but that number belies her concrete-hard place in the country firmament, with a combination of vocal ambition and toughness that recalls a younger Martina McBride. Eric Allen of American Songwriter gave a positive review, awarding it with four stars out of five and said: Blown Away displays considerable artistic and creative growth in both Underwood’s songwriting and selection of material. Is more thematic and unified, resulting in Underwood’s strongest effort to date, which easily leaves her previous releases twisting in the wind. Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B+, and referred to Blown Away as Underwood's "most stadium-rock-friendly album yet.[20] Mikael Wood of the LA Times was less than enthusiastic about the album, giving it two stars out of four, and saying that much of the album "finds Underwood using her remarkable voice to deliver feel-good bromides like those in the lightly-reggae-inflected 'One Way Ticket.'"[21] While Johnathan Keefe of Slant magazine wasn't overly impressed with the album in his review, giving the album 3 stars, he did give Underwood credit for "at least tak[ing] far more creative risks than she ever has before and occasionally stray[ing] from a formula that had become stale and predictable."[22] Melissa Newman of Hitfix gave the album a B, but criticized the album's material, calling it "a mixed bag, with the songs running the gamut from ranking among her best to wondering who the hell let some of them on the album."[23] Sean Daly of Tampa Bay Times gave the album a C, saying, "Cliche pleadings for lost love dominate Blown Away, which sounds a lot more Hollywood safe than Nashville tough."[24] Jody Rosen of "RollingStone" gave the album 2.5 out of 5 stars saying that "Underwood's voice is as powerful as ever, but Blown Away tries too hard, ratcheting up melodrama with strings and effects."[25]

Commercial performance

Blown Away debuted at number one in the United States on the Billboard 200 chart with first-week sales of 267,000 copies. It is Carrie Underwood's third number-one album on the chart, following Carnival Ride (2007) and Play On (2009). She is the third female to chart at number one on the Billboard 200 with three country albums, thus tying her with Linda Ronstadt and Faith Hill.[2] Like her three previous album, Blown Away also debuted at the top of the Country Albums chart, making Underwood only the second female to achieve that feat.[3] In its second week, Blown Away stayed at number one, being Underwood's first album to spend more than a week at the top, selling 120,000 copies. As of June 6th, it has sold 517,000 copies.[4][26] In Canada, the album debuted at number one, with first-week sales of 17,300 copies.[27] It also debuted at number four on the ARIA Top 50 Albums, and at number one on the ARIA Top 20 Country Albums charts in Australia.[28]

Blown Away is Underwood's longest run at number one on the US Top Country Albums chart since her debut album, Some Hearts.[29]

Promotion

With the release of her highly anticipated fourth album, Underwood made numerous television, radio, and online appearances. On April 29, Underwood was featured on Nightline, and on April 30, Good Morning America aired an exclusive interview. Later that evening, Underwood performed "Good Girl" on Late Show with David Letterman as well as a performed on the Live on Letterman webcast concert series streaming live online. On May 1, Carrie returned to Good Morning America to perform a special live outdoor concert in Times Square, followed by an iHeartRadio Live performance streaming live online that evening. Underwood appeared on American Idol on May 3 with a special performance of the title track from her album. Underwood is also made appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on May 9, Jimmy Kimmel Live! on May 10, and Dancing with the Stars on May 15, followed by the Billboard Music Awards on May 20.[30]

Tour

On May 1, 2012, Underwood announced The Blown Away Tour. The tour will include an international run of shows during the summer of 2012, including her first-ever United Kingdom concert, taking place at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London on June 21. The Royal Albert Hall concert sold out within the first 90 minutes of public ticket sales. Additional international concert dates are expected to be announced.[31] Opening for Underwood on the North American leg of the tour is country singer Hunter Hayes. Underwood will be donating $1 from each ticket sold on the North American leg of the tour to support the Red Cross disaster relief. The Blown Away Tour will begin September 14 in Manchester, and will continue deep into December.[32][33]

Track listing

The track listing was revealed on March 26, 2012. All songs were produced by Mark Bright.[34]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Good Girl"Underwood, Chris DeStefano, Ashley Gorley3:25
2."Blown Away"Chris Tompkins, Josh Kear4:00
3."Two Black Cadillacs"Underwood, Hillary Lindsey, Kear4:58
4."See You Again"Underwood, David Hodges, Lindsey4:06
5."Do You Think About Me"Cary Barlowe, Lindsey, Shane Stevens3:37
6."Forever Changed"Tom Douglas, James T. Slater, Lindsey4:02
7."Nobody Ever Told You"Underwood, Lindsey, Luke Laird4:10
8."One Way Ticket"Underwood, Laird, Kear,3:56
9."Thank God for Hometowns"Laird, Gorley, Lindsey4:01
10."Good in Goodbye"Underwood, Ryan Tedder, Lindsey4:17
11."Leave Love Alone"Gordie Sampson, Troy Verges, Lindsey3:19
12."Cupid's Got a Shotgun"Underwood, Tompkins, Kear3:43
13."Wine After Whiskey"Underwood, Tom Shapiro, Dave Berg3:51
14."Who Are You"Robert John "Mutt" Lange3:55
UK bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
15."Cowboy Casanova"Underwood, Mike Elizondo, Brett James3:56
16."Before He Cheats"Tompkins, Kear3:19
17."Last Name"Underwood, Laird, Lindsey4:01
18."Jesus, Take the Wheel"James, Lindsey, Sampson3:46

Charts

Album

Chart (2012) Peak
position
Australian ARIA Albums Chart[35] 4
Australian ARIA Country Albums Chart[36] 1
Canadian Albums Chart[37] 1
Canadian Country Albums Chart[38] 1
New Zealand Albums Chart[39] 22
US Billboard 200[2] 1
US Billboard Top Country Albums 1

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions
US Country US US Adult CAN
2012 "Good Girl" 1 18 20 21
Preceded by Top Country Albums number-one album
May 19–June 9, 2012 		Succeeded by
Incumbent

Release dates

Country Date Format Label
Canada May 1, 2012 CD, digital download Arista Nashville
United States
Denmark May 2, 2012 Sony Music
Finland
Australia May 4, 2012
New Zealand
Ireland May 11, 2012
Thailand
United Kingdom June 18, 2012 RCA Records
Japan July 25, 2012 Sony Music

Personnel

Credits adapted from Allmusic[40]

References

  1. ^ "Carrie Underwood To Release New Album On May 1, 2012". Carrie Underwood Official Site.
  2. ^ a b c Caulfield, Keith (2012-05-09). "Carrie Underwood Debuts Atop Billboard 200, Beats Norah Jones, B.o.B". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2012-05-09.
  3. ^ a b Grein, Paul (2012-05-09). "Week Ending May 6, 2012. Albums: Carrie Makes Idol History | Chart Watch (NEW) - Yahoo! Music". Music.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
  4. ^ a b "Latest Music News, Band, Artist, Musician & Music Video News". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-05-23.
  5. ^ "PCarrie Underwood finds 'real things' to sing about". Reuters. 2012-03-30.
  6. ^ "Carrie Underwood Leaves Us Blown Away". Vegas Magazine.
  7. ^ "Blown Away - Carrie Underwood". Allmusic. 5-11-12. Retrieved 5-11-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  8. ^ "Blown Away- Carrie Underwood". Metacritic. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  9. ^ Blown Away at AllMusic
  10. ^ By Eric Allen (2012-05-08). "Blown Away | Album Reviews". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2012-05-15. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  11. ^ By Jody Rosen (2012-05-08). "Blown Away | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
  12. ^ "Blown Away by Carrie Underwood". Country Weekly. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
  13. ^ "Carrie Underwood: Blown Away | Music Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
  14. ^ Up for Discussion (2009-09-14). "Carrie Underwood, 'Blown Away': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
  15. ^ Reviewed by Melissa Maerz (2012-05-09). "Blown Away review - Carrie Underwood Review | Music Reviews and News". EW.com. Retrieved 2012-05-15. {{cite news}}: Text "May 09, 2012" ignored (help)
  16. ^ April 30, 2012  (2012-04-30). "Album review: Carrie Underwood's 'Blown Away' - latimes.com". Latimesblogs.latimes.com. Retrieved 2012-05-15. {{cite news}}: Text "  9:37 pm" ignored (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ Price, Deborah Evans. "Carrie Underwood, 'Blown Away': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  18. ^ Ewing, Ian. "Review: Carrie Underwood - Blown Away". Keepin' It Country. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  19. ^ Addison, Daryl. "Album Review: Carrie's Underwood's Blown Away". GAC. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  20. ^ Maerz, Melissa. "Blown Away Review - Carrie Underwood". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  21. ^ Wood, Mikael. "Album Review: Carrie Underwood's 'Blown Away'". LA Times. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  22. ^ Keefe, Johnathan. "Carrie Underwood - Blown Away". Slant. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  23. ^ Newman, Melissa. "Album Review: Will Carrie Underwood's 'Blown Away' blow you away?". Hitfix. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  24. ^ Daly, Sean. "Carrie Underwood Squanders Her Talent on Lackluster New Album 'Blown Away'". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  25. ^ Rosen, Jody. "Carrie Underwood - Blown Away". RollingStone. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  26. ^ "Carrie Underwood gets second week at No. 1". Content.usatoday.com. 2012-05-16. Retrieved 2012-05-23.
  27. ^ Daniell, Mark (2012-05-09). "Carrie sizzles, Marilyn fizzles on charts | Music | Entertainment". Calgary Sun. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
  28. ^ May122012. "Carrie Underwood's 'Blown Away' Debuts at No.1 in Canada-Country Music Is Love". Countrymusicislove.com. Retrieved 2012-05-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ Grein, Paul (30 May 2012). "Week Ending May 27, 2012. Albums: Idols' Ups & Downs". Yahoo! Music. Yahoo! News. Retrieved 30 Mayy 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  30. ^ Apr 27, 2012 (2012-04-27). "| The Official Carrie Underwood Site". Carrieunderwoodofficial.com. Retrieved 2012-05-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  31. ^ "Carrie Underwood Announces 'The Blown Away Tour'". AllAccess.com. 2012-05-01. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  32. ^ "Carrie Underwood announces 'Blown Away' tour". Content.usatoday.com. 2012-05-01. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  33. ^ May 01, 2012 (2012-05-01). "| The Official Carrie Underwood Site". Carrieunderwoodofficial.com. Retrieved 2012-05-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  34. ^ "Carrie Underwood, 'Blown Away' Track List Revealed". The Boot.
  35. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". ARIA Charts. ARIA - Australian Recording Industry Association Ltd. All rights reserved. 2012-05-14. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
  36. ^ "ARIA Top 20 Country Chart". ARIA Charts. ARIA - Australian Recording Industry Association Ltd. All rights reserved. 2012-05-14. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
  37. ^ "24 Hours Vancouver". Vancouver.24hrs.ca. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
  38. ^ "Carrie Underwood Debuts at #1 on Canada's Chart & All Genre Sales". Nashvillecountryclub.com. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
  39. ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ). Archived from the original on 7 March 2012.
  40. ^ "Blown Away – Carrie Underwood Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
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