To continue my country music review theme, today I'm looking at Martina McBride's Timeless album. She's another country star I was lucky enough to see in concert this summer, when she visited Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas as part of her Timeless tour. This album is different to the majority of her other work, in that it is entirely composed of Martina's tributes to classic country songs.
~ ~ ~ Martina McBride ~ ~ ~ Born on 29th July 1966 in Sharon, Kansas, Martina McBride ('Martina Mariea Schiff' by birth) is an American Grammy nominated country music singer, a happily married woman, and a mother of three beautiful girls. She's also the owner of the most piercing blue eyes you'll ever see! To say she's the mother of all those kids, she's still got a cracking figure, as she showed dancing around on stage on the concert tour.
Martina was active in the country music from a very early age (I think 3 is the earliest quote I've heard, but other places say she was 7) as her father was a member of a local country band called the Schifters. By her teens, Martina was playing keyboards in her Dad's band, and it wasn't long before her pitch-perfect, hugely dynamic voice was discovered.
Some claims to fame: "She is a four-time Country Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year winner (a record she holds with Reba McEntire), three-time Academy of Country Music Female Vocalist of the Year winner and a Grammy Award winner. She performed The Star-Spangled Banner at Game 3 of the 2004 World Series"
As well as being possibly the most prominent female finger in the solo country scene, Martina is also well known for the fact that she covers controversial topics in her songs - 'Independence Day' is about domestic violence, 'Broken Wing' is about suicide, 'Concrete Angel' (a favourite of mine) is about child abuse.
To date all of Martina's albums have entered very high up the US and Country charts:
(2005) Timeless #3 US, (#1 Country) (2003) Martina #7 US, (#1 Country) (2001) Greatest Hits #5 US, (#1 Country) (1999) Emotion #19 US, (#3 Country) (1998) White Christmas #68 US, (#9 Country) (1997) Evolution #24 US, (#4 Country) (1995) Wild Angels #77 US, (#17 Country) (1993) The Way That I Am #106 US, (#14 Country) (1992) The Time Has Come (#49 Country)
~ ~ ~ The Timeless Album ~ ~ ~ As I said before, this is an 18-track album composed of entirely cover versions of traditional country songs. Martina has given them a slight new feel, but maintains she wanted them to sound as true to the originals as possible. She takes an active role in producing all of her albums, and this one was no exception.
This is a long quote, but I want to include it as it sums up the album much more eloquently than I ever could:
"In paying tribute to her roots, Martina McBride doesn't merely cover a selection of classic country favourites, she conjures an entire era. You'd swear that was Floyd Cramer playing piano on the album-opening "You Win Again," and Chet Atkins picking guitar on the following "I'll Be There." The steel guitar featured so prominently throughout Timeless recalls a time when country sounded distinctly--and proudly--different from rock, while the background chorale on "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "Once a Day," as well as the soaring strings on "Rose Garden," remind one of the "countrypolitan" crossover sound. Except for a delicate rendering of Johnny Cash's "I Still Miss Someone," McBride's versions don't really add anything to the originals, because these songs weren't missing anything. But she makes "I Don't Hurt Anymore" sound as fresh and pure as it did when Hank Snow recorded it more than a half-century ago, while her rendition of "Till I Can Make It on My Own" has all the brittle conviction that Tammy Wynette invested in it." (http://entertainment-news-network-archive.blogspot.com/2006/05/interview-martina-mcbride.html)
~ ~ ~ The Tracks ~ ~ ~ (I'll try to be brief as there are 18 tracks to get though) I wanted to be able to put the 'original' artist name to each song but I can't find the complete information anywhere! The tracks are all very short - the full 18tracks fills less than an hour! But then is how the originals were. They are also quite same-y at time, both in tone and topic - but again, that's how the originals were and how she wanted this to be.
* 1. You Win Again A very nice traditional sound, which acts as a great introduction to the whole feel of this album. The prominent sounds throughout are steel guitar and vocals, and this track, like most of the others, stays very true to the original. I'm not entirely sure what this about, lyric-wise. It's clear that whoever she's singing about has 'won again' but who, and why, I don't know!
* 2. I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me) I love this one. It's very upbeat and swinging, and would probably be great for a nice fast country-dance. A strong drum beat (and yet its still traditional country) in the background makes it very easy to find your foot tapping along. The premise of the lyrics is very simple - if you ever want me, I'll be there by your side, and she covers a whole load of things that could stop her, but she'll overcome then every time.
* 3. I Can't Stop Loving You Martina is joined by a chorus in the background for this track, and aside from those vocals there is only very quiet accompaniment from the instruments - a little bit of guitar, some slight keyboard I think. Once again, the title sums up precisely what the lyrics tell about - she can't stop loving 'you', so she's just going to live in the past and feed off memories forever.
* 4. (I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden This is my favourite track on the entire album, and one of my all time country favourites. It so up beat and easy to dance to (I don't dance to hardly anything!) Martina's strong voice comes through very well on this one because of the faster tempo and fuller sound. I also love the lyrics because they speak of a powerful man/woman telling the partner, uh uh, I may have promised you rings and good stuff, but 'I never promised you a rose garden' and its gotta rain sometime!
* 5. Today I Started Loving You Again This one is slower and so gives you a moment to catch your breath back after the fast paces Rose Garden. Quite a simple one, the main sound is simple strumming on a guitar, and some slider guitar near the end of each verse. It only really has two verses and a chorus, and yet its still one of the longest on the album, showing how slow paced it is. The title says it all really - I'd gotten over you for long enough for heartbreak to repair, but then 'today I started loving you again'.
* 6. You Ain't Woman Enough Again this one would be good for country dancing too, as it has a very swinging rhythm. One of the main instruments in this seems to be a tambourine, but it's a great sound. This is another one that is just full of 'strong woman'. The man's new woman, comes to the old woman to tell her to give him up, but she simply replies with 'you ain't woman enough to take my man!'
* 7. Once a Day For Martina, this is a relatively low song, and yet her voice is dynamic enough to handle it superbly. This track also sees the return of the chorus that made an appearance before. I think the song is about break-up. She's crying because he has found someone new, but she's progress in that she only cries once a day. Then again, it's "once a day, all day long, and once a night, from dusk till dawn"
* 8. Pick Me Up on Your Way Down Another great swinging track perfect for dancing too. There is a very full musical sound to this one, and its quite warm, even though the topic is slightly bitchy. From what I gather, this one is about rejection - a guy has split up with a girl because he thinks he's on his way to the top. And she's replying with, well good luck, but pick me up when you fall back down!
* 9. I Don't Hurt Anymore The same sound as the few before it, this one is another swinging country one, but slightly slower. The lyrics tell of heartbreak and misery, but, now she's over it and it doesn't hurt anymore.
* 10. True Love Ways This one is quite a different sound, soft and smooth and more like a slow dance than a country-dance. It shows Martina's pure voice in that there a quite a few drawn out notes that she hold perfectly. This song is one of the first on the album that uses a keyboard as a main instrument, with backing from a violin and then guitars. The lyrics are quite sweet, that only the guy and the girl in the relationship know what it is, how it is, and why they cry, and stuff like that; only they know the 'true love ways'. It's sweet.
* 11. 'Til I Can Make It On My Own This is another strong keyboard/piano one, and gives Martina a chance to show off the full sound of her voice. It's quite slow and mellow. Once again, this is about breaking up, and that she'll need time before she can make it on her own again.
* 12. I Still Miss Someone The musical sound of this one is quite joyous and carries a good tune, but the vocal accompaniment and the lyrics are much more sombre and down. It's an interesting mix, but it's a good one too. She's singing that maybe now she does go out and she does meet new people, but deep down, she's still missing someone who she used to love.
* 13. Heartaches by the Number I love this track; it's my second favourite on the album. It's really upbeat and happy, even though the topic isn't so. The track has a nice rounded traditional country feel. She listing off various things he's done which to hurt her, and cause heartbreak, but then in the chorus she explains that she loves him more each time, and the day she gets to stop counting heartbreaks will be the day the world will end.
* 14. Satin Sheets Back to the feel of a few tracks previously, slow but swinging, traditional country, lead mainly by guitar and vocals. This song is about the fact that she may have a lot of stuff because of her new man, (eg, "Satin sheets to lie on Satin pillows to cry on") she still isn't happy - money doesn't buy happiness, even more so when you're still in love with someone you left.
* 15. Thanks A Lot This is another one that manages to be really upbeat and jolly, until you listen to the lyrics! But then again, the lyrics are full of that 'strong woman' mentality again, so I love them! The song is about 'thanks a lot' - all I got left with was a broken heart and I've cried, and that's all I've got, thanks!
* 16. Love's Gonna Live Here Again, nice and happy sounding, upbeat and quiet swinging. For a change, this one is actually happy! She's saying, maybe I am miserable because of you, but 'love's gunna live here again' and I won't be lonely anymore - so who needs you!
* 17. Make The World Go Away The first lines of this one are quite bad (I never thought I'd say that about Martina!) but they sound slightly off key almost! After these lines it does improve and sounds like most of the other songs on the album. Back to misery again, she's begging the guy to come back to her and 'make the world go away', 'take it off her shoulders'
* 18. Help Me Make It Through the Night The closing track on the album, this is a quite slow and mostly just pure vocal track. While the tone isn't really the same as the rest of the album - it's more like a ballad than country - but works really well as the last note on the album. In the lyrics, she's crying out for help, but I don't really know why! "Yesterday is dead and gone and tomorrow's out of sight. And it's sad to be alone. Help me make it through the night."
~ ~ ~ CD Features ~ ~ ~ Once again, I don't actually own this physical CD (I download my music through itunes) so I don't know if there are any other features on the CD. 18 tracks is more than enough to give you great value for money anyway!
~ ~ ~ Overall ~ ~ ~ Depending on who you are, I would or would not recommend this album!
- If you know Martina and like her stuff, then by all means buy it because it is great Martina
- But if you don't know her work at all, I wouldn't recommend this as a first album as she really doesn't have a chance to shine as much in this collection of songs as she does in others. For a first time Martina listener, I'd recommend an album such as her Greatest Hits. Listen to tracks like, How Far, Concrete Angel, Independent day, those will give you much more of a feel for who she is.
-If you're not a country fan in the slightest, don't even bother!! Harsh but true, I doubt you would like this!
- If you're a classic country fan, and know many of these songs, it'll probably be a nice album to buy. The tracks would be familiar, but slightly different in that they are by Martina.
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Average
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Satisfactory
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