Idol Underwood takes us on a 'Ride'

It's been hard to ignore the hype surrounding Carrie Underwood in the past two years. Since winning the fourth season of American Idol in 2005, she has collected an impressive array of major music awards, including five Academy of Country Music awards, two Country Music Association awards, and two Grammys. She recently beat Kelly Clarkson's Breakaway sales with her debut album, Some Hearts, which was declared platinum six times over, making her the most commercially successful Idol contestant in the show's history. She has enjoyed combined country/pop achievements with No. 1 singles on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Country Charts. What the numbers prove is that America loves Carrie Underwood.

So far, she's won over fans across the country with her pretty face, girl-next-door charm, and powerhouse voice. Yet, there are some in the country music industry who have criticized Underwood as the mere product of a popular reality TV show - someone undeserving of such heavy praise, having taken a shortcut to fame and commercial success. Also, the rise of her songs on pop radio has led some critics to brand her as singing inauthentic country. The anticipation for her follow-up album has been overwhelming as America waited to see if Underwood would live up to the high expectations that had been set for her.

Luckily, she does. On Carnival Ride, Underwood wisely sticks to what she does best - that is, singing pop-tinged, contemporary country. She seems to understand the role that she is expected to fill and rather than struggle against fans' expectations to break out of a mold (à la Kelly Clarkson's latest, My December), she doesn't stray far from the successful formula of Some Hearts. This time around, the album is just a hair more country and just a hair more fine-tuned in terms of song selection and production. It highlights her stellar voice in songs that she is evidently comfortable singing. She also played a larger role in its making, co-writing four of the 13 tracks. The result is something that skeptics can't deny: The girl knows how to use her talent.

Carnival Ride, whose name is derived from lyrics in the album's final song, consists of a little bit of everything that is contemporary country. There's the opening track, "Flat On The Floor." It's a high-energy declaration of independence that showcases the powerful voice that impressed even Simon Cowell. It sounds like something one would expect from Shania Twain. Then there's the essential inspirational ballad. Here it's in the form of "So Small," a track with the similar sweeping sound of her first hit single, "Jesus Take The Wheel." She sings, "And when you figure out love is all that matters after all / It sure makes everything else / Seem so small." There's also a tell-tale song of young love, "All-American Girl." It's an upbeat account that sounds a lot like her own proclaimed idol, Martina McBride. Then there's the gritty, bad-girl anthem, "Last Name," in which she channels Gretchen Wilson.

One of the album's strongest contenders is "Just A Dream." Here, she takes on heavier material, singing a heartbreaking, Faith Hill-esque ballad of a young soldier's widow in denial. With excellent control of her impressive range, she belts out, "Why'd you have to go / I was counting on forever / Now I'll never know / This can't be happening to me / This is just a dream."

Though these comparisons demonstrate that her sound is not necessarily original, Carnival Ride is a strong album nonetheless. With such a powerful voice, it's her delivery that compensates for the lack of originality. The small-town Oklahoma girl who first captured voters' attention on the Idol stage has lost none of her charm as she remains faithful to her roots. Best of all, she has lost none of the relatable charm that she is known for, cheering "Here's to you long shots, you dark horse runners / Hairbrush singers and dashboard drummers / Here's to you wild magnolias just waiting to bloom / There's a little bit of all that inside of me and you / Thank God even crazy dreams come true." Carnival Ride reminds us why America chose Carrie Underwood as their Idol to begin with. B