Ten Most Disappointing Albums of 2007

I like the challenge you face here. Albums can be disappointing in multiple ways, depending on what is expected before listening, and you show that variety of expectation here. I found that many albums that I felt were good and enjoyed to an extent were still on the disappointing side. Lucinda Williams & Ryan Adams produced solid discs with several gems and trademark quality, yet I found myslef wanting more in certain cases on both discs. Maybe that feeling of wanting more isn’t actual disappointment, but it definitely isn’t fulfilling either….

How about a top 10 hysterically over-the-top, unintentionally funny tear-jerking ballads? I’ll get you started: “I’ll Walk” by Bucky Covington and “It’s Not Supposed to Go Like That” by Rascal Flatts.

Peter - I couldn’t agree more. I said this on my own blog a couple of weeks ago. how many artists would kill for a “disappointing” album to be as well crafted as the second, third or fourth best works from artist such as Williams, Adams, etc…Setting such high standards creates higher expectations, and I can’t blame them for not wanting to ever make “car wheels on a gravel road” or “heartbreaker” all over again, just to humor the more narrow, cynical scope of many fans.

-My vote for unintentionally funny is any Trace Adkins song that doesnt have the word “badonkadonk” in the title. I doubt many people would assume that anything is a “thinking thang” when it somes to the wannabe apprentice.

Considering the average quality of the dreck coming out of mainstream Nashville these days, I think this list should have been the 20 or 30 worst or most disappointing country releases of 2007. We are relying on The 9513 to guide us through this mine field of garbage country and 10 albums just won’t cut it. My big label purchases this year were Sunny Sweeney’s “Heartbrakers Hall of Fame” (love it), Jason Michael Carroll’s debut (I like about half the songs), and Luke Bryan’s debut (mostly dreck). Thank goodness for the CMT blog steering me to JR and the Roadkill Choir! (lol)

You better take another listen to Gene Watson’s “In a Perfect World”. It doesn’t get any better than that. What a shame it doesn’t get air play so more people could enjoy the purest country music voice on earth.

I just really, really agree with this list.

Mostly I agree with you. Used to love Brooks and Dunn, what happened to them? The only songs they’ve released in recent years that I enjoyed was “I Believe” and “God Must Be Busy”. Some of the other the stuff they’ve been cranking out makes me cringe, it’s beneath them. Since her first album I’ve not been able to get into Gretchen Wilson at all. Well, Rascal Flatts…I’m not going there. Where I disagree is Gary Allan. His heart can’t be broke forever so we can’t keep expecting albums like “Tough All Over” from him. As an artist this album is in the natural progression, the right progression for him considering where he is in his life. The overall theme of the album is hope with a small side of nostalgia, instead of despair and anger. Some of the cuts like “Yesterday’s Rain” still touch on that pain, but also show he is moving past it. Sure, my first trip through that CD I was a bit disappointed (totally fell in love with “Like it’s a Bad Thing” on the first listen). Once realizing it’s not fair of me to expect “Smoke Rings Part 2″ or “Tough All Over Part 2″, I enjoyed the hell out of it.

Who says that Carnival Ride is successful? If it stopped selling right now, it was be a major disappointment after Some Hearts, and it probably won’t live up to that album’s numbers. I also don’t forsee a major cross-genre hit like “Before He Cheats” and expect that the album’s country singles, while perhaps most or all of them will hit number one, won’t be as memorable or as successful as the hits from Some Hearts.

I did consider commercial success in putting together the list (e.g., One of the Boys), but it was a very minor consideration. Carnival Ride makes the list because it was not only an artistic disappointment but caused me to radically reevaluate Carrie’s talent and potential.

Mike C. - Hmmmm…Carnival Ride is released on 23 OCT of this year, and hits number one on Billboard’s Country charts on 01 NOV, falling one notch down (and holding steadily) to one of rock’s legendary groups, The Eagles. Seven weeks high up on the charts and counting. I’d say Carrie Underwood is very successful with this album….to date. I beg to differ that Carnival Ride has been an artistic disappointment (let alone the number one ranking on this site). I like the album, not love it; but it sure doesn’t merit being the biggest disappointment of 2007. It would be unfair to consider any album released so late in the year such a dubious title. I think this (still very new) album still has “legs” into the new year. oh, and the American Idol karaoke jab was very mean-spirited, and far from objectivity, Mike C. Go ahead and fault her producers all you want, but her voice is what it is…no matter what album you purchase. Happy Holidays, and give Carrie a chance.

Speaking of sequencing, I have a theory that the Big & Rich album would have been much better received had it not been so disastrously sequenced (all the ballads first, then all the uptempo songs). Even in the iPod “shuffle” age, sequencing apparently counts.

The 527,000 purchases in the first week said it was successful. Debuting at number one on the Country, Canadian, and Digital Albums chart said it was successful. “So Small” skyrocketing to number one also said it was successful.

Most importantly, being released in October and already going double platinum is more than successful, it’s insane. If you didn’t know, this album has sold more in the first week than Carrie’s previous album, which is at six times platinum right now.

Are you honestly trying to say it’s not successful?

You can’t bash an album if you don’t know where it’s stood. On personal opinion, you can. On sales, no way!

I was just kidding around about the jerks thing too, I wasn’t being serious. I fully understand everybody is going to have different opinions on music - but implying it won’t be successful, well, the numbers are based on fact… and they say differently.

Numbers may be fact, but “success” isn’t, as it’s a subjective interpretation derived from factual measures. You seem to be referring solely to commercial success and I don’t want to dwell on that because it played very little role in formulation of the list and played no role in my assessment of Carnival Ride; that album would be at number one on the list whether it had sold 50K or 5 million to this point. Whether or not you consider 2 million sold to be succesful at this point in Carrie’s career is a matter of personal interpretation and expectations. I expect that Carnival Ride will stop a few million short of Some Hearts because I don’t foresee it getting a push late into next year from a big cross-genre hit. Of course, I could be wrong and whether or not pulling up a few times platinum short of Some Hearts constitutes a commerical disappointment is for you to decide on your own.

I have to disagree with you. The new Gary Allan and Big and Rich albums, were my favorite new albums of year. Every artist progresses from where they are in life just as much as every one else does. Theirs are just lived out publicly threw the music that they make. Personally I am happy to see that Mr. Allan is in a better place in life, and Big and Rich will always be the ever changing artists that they are. They are creative and will always be trying new things. They can’t rewrite “save a horse ride a cowboy” and “the 8th of November” every time they put something new out. I always look forward to their creative new albums, because I never know what to expect other than great music. As far as Miss Gretchen Wilson goes… I wasn’t that impressed with her new album either!!! Just my opinions!!!

Talent is measured by ability, success is measured by sales. People with talent become successful in country, people without it simply don’t.

Is Rascal Flatts my favorite band? Nope, not a big fan. But are they talented? Undoubtedly. Are they successful? Most artists could only DREAM of being that successful!

You can have the best vocals in the world, if it doesn’t sell… it wasn’t a successful album. I consider talent and success to be two drastically different things.

Do I consider Carrie Underwood to be talented, yes.

“…but Carnival Ride demonstrates that much of the artistic maturity exuded by this overnight success was illusory and that some pronouncements about Carrie’s endless talent were premature.”

Matt C. - I’d say you’ve all but written off Carrie Underwood’s career with that statement and ranking. Her artistic maturity was illusory? So are you saying that Some Hearts was some kind of fluke? If you were expecting Some Hearts Pt.2 in Carnival Ride, then perhaps this album would be a disappointment.

As for the context in how success is defined, sure we can twist statistics around and make what is an obvious success into a failure (commercial vs. art for art’s sake). Based on your opinion, Underwood’s artistic interpretation is her achilles heel in Carnival Ride. A very subjective call and apparently contrary to what her audience thinks and hears….and buys!

“It may be easier with talent, but talent isn’t an indicator of success.”

Brady - Talent CAN be measured as an indicator of success; what it doesn’t do is guarantee you that success.

Underwood’s seven-week old album is certainly not THE biggest disappointment in Country music to come out of 2007.

My biggest disappointment of 2007 is having to endure lyrics that prescribe to checking one’s girlfriend for ticks!

“My biggest disappointment of 2007 is having to endure lyrics that prescribe to checking one’s girlfriend for ticks!”

I LMAO the first time I heard that song. Worst redneck pick up line EVER. That song really had nothing to do with a relationship, that was pure lust. Aside from the clever, very original lyrics, I really dig the guitar in that song. For me, one of the top five songs of 2007.

One of the things I love about that man, he can make you cry and laugh on the same album. Really talented guy.

Weird thing I posted that comment above, about Ticks, but I goofed somehow and my name isn’t there…or my browser is having issues. :)

I love Carrie Underwood’s album, Carnival Ride, and like it more every time I listen to it. I love her new song, All-American Girl. I truly hope her album outsells Some Hearts, because your comments are so arrogant that I would love for you to have to eat crow. Her voice is great, her songs energetic, some of them even heart wrenching. There are some songs I like better than others, but to me, she outshines the other artists.

I can understand being disappointed in Carnival Ride after hearing what Carrie can do in an acoustic setting (see especially her cover of “Bless the Broken Road” for Clear Channel Stripped) and in her live performances of songs like “San Antonio Rose” (at the 2007 Grammys) and “Stand By Your Man” (at the Opry in March 2006). I would include her recent Movies Rock performance of “The Sound of Music” in that mix, too — it qualifies as the first time Carrie made me rethink what a (very familiar) song could mean. Personally, I prefer Carrie’s voice when she dials back the power.

That said, I have a different and less harsh assessment of Carnival Ride. Starting with where I agree with you somewhat, a little of Carrie’s belting goes a long way for me, and I do think there are a few too many songs that showcase Carrie’s belting. But I think this album also features a fair amount of good storytelling and restrained singing from Carrie. The problem is that the more nuanced singing tends to happen in the same songs that feature the belting. For example, I love what Carrie does with the verses of “Just a Dream” — I think she does a great job interpreting the lyrics and sounds gorgeous. I think her singing on the choruses works well, too. But there are those two prolonged notes towards the end of that song that I could really, really do without.

Then there’s “I Know You Won’t” — here, I think the belting is part of a natural emotional progression in the song (from sadness to desperation), but I can see where people might think otherwise. Carrie’s singing and interpretation of the verses is especially good. Heck, take “So Small” — I think Carrie sounds beautiful on the verses, and that she does a great job of bringing a bit of vulnerability and the need to believe to the lyrics. But I can see where the extended “small” and belty third rendition of the chorus might feel like too much.

From an A&R standpoint, I would say that maybe Carnival Ride has a few too many songs geared towards showcasing everything Carrie can do with her voice (soft/subtle -and- belting). The belting appears to overshadow the more nuanced singing on several songs for several people, so I hope that in the future, Carrie will trust herself to sing some songs acoustically and/or without that “money” belting portion. She certainly has the voice to sell such songs, and has proved it over and over again. And I think Carnival Ride provides plenty of moments where Carrie’s abilities to put over a lyric are in fine display…”You Won’t Find This” (the combination of ache and the bravado front in her voice really gets me on this one) and “Wheel of the World” are two standout examples for me. I also think Carrie fares very well on fluffier, charming fare like “Crazy Dreams” and “All-American Girl.”

I often find myself disagreeing with Stephen Thomas Erlewine of All Music Guide, but I think he nailed what Carrie and producer Mark Bright were going for when he said that this album has a contemporary country meets arena rock sound (he also said he thinks this makes perfect sense for someone whose most buzzed about AI performance was of Heart’s “Alone”). Moreover, I think the style and song selection of this album were heavily influenced by Carrie’s desire to liven up her tour setlist. Some Hearts was a very power ballad-heavy album, and I think Carrie wanted to have song choices that would bring more energy and diversity to her concerts. Her treatment of “Flat on the Floor” (for example) reflects that desire, in my view. I don’t think it’s a totally successful treatment (I think Carrie’s phrasing needed to be a bit more fluid and I think the production could have made Carrie’s performance sound more raw). In my opinion, Carrie’s live performance of this song on Good Morning America put the studio version to shame.

Anyway, I guess the upshot is that Carnival Ride makes a bit more sense to me when I think about it in the context of Carrie’s goals for a live show. That said, I would have liked the album better if the production more closely approached the rawness and energy of a live show. I absolutely believe that Carrie has matured as an interpretive singer…I think evidence of that is there on the verses of several CR songs and also in Carrie’s live performances, but I think the album leaves some room for that increased maturity to be manifest. I’m hoping that once Carrie feels like her concert setlist is better-balanced (and after the experience of touring these songs next year), Carrie will feel freer to not always think as big with her music.

Oh and the Carrie-hating madness never stops..

Hey Matt,

I agree with your OPINIONS here, but obviously quite a few of your readers take what you say as the gospel truth and are disheartened that Carrie Underwoods album, in your OPINION, was the most disappointing of the year. : )

I agree 100% with your thoughts on Carrie and Rascal Flatts.

The hype over Carrie is crazy and if she didn’t go on American Idol we wouldn’t even know her name.

Her new single is nothing but a screamfest just like many of her songs. So overrated and I don’t see this album even selling half of what her first album did.

Heck Taylor’s year old album is selling more, its #1 this week. I see 3-3 1/2 million tops for this album.

The boy band is a disgrace to country music and its a sin to even call Rascal Flatts country music artists.

I was reading through this again and came across Kevin’s comment about Best Line From A Country Blog In 2007. I’d have to disagree with his choice and nominate a line from Country Universe in regards to the same band: “How can we be encouraged to stand up by a man who sings like he pees sitting down?” It makes me laugh every time I remember it.