Member Since: 5/22/2011
Posts: 21,227
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Quote:
Underwood a wholesome country princess
Now that Taylor Swift has become – let’s face it – a little spooky, it is left to Carrie Underwood to take the role of the wholesome country princess with the heart of gold.
No songs about wanting to steal your boyfriend nor wanting to claw your eyes out for stealing hers were heard at Saturday night’s sold out show in Rexall Place. The most famous American Idol contestant ever delivered a slick, colourful, high energy music video-quality show that was all about the positive, the heartfelt, the empowering. It opened with Good Girl. Coincidence, you say?
Plenty of Ellie Mays in Daisy Dukes turned up at this concert – thank you, summer! - wholesome, corn-fed, healthy young women come to commune with their like-minded idol. One of the big differences between Underwood and other divas, pop country and otherwise, was the fact that most of the songs are not actually about her. Imagine. Underwood is not the “Good Girl” in the song, which advises the female protagonist to dump the no-good, cheatin’ man what done her wrong. Later came Cowboy Casanova, in which a female protagonist is advised to dump the no-good, cheatin’ man what done her wrong – or will if he gets the chance.
“I got a lot of cheatin’ songs, don’t I?” Underwood asked the crowd, before answering the question herself, “It is country music.”
Sure, sort of. The show sounded more like high production rock concert with a wee bit of twang – like most major arena country concerts these days. A squad of backing musicians and singers on moving platforms surrounded by high-def video screens provided a thick, Broadway musical backdrop for Underwood’s wailing. It was quite generic at times. But oh, yes, this chick can sing. American Idol, remember? That was eight years ago. Say what you want about American Idol – that it sucks and should be cancelled as soon as possible – but they did manage to come up with some good singers every now and then.
Underwood was one of the best – and she knows it. She showed off in just about every way she could. She rocked out in songs like American Girl, earning brownie points for changing the line to “Canadian girl.” She channelled a soul vibe in the sassy Last Name, probably her naughtiest song, about getting drunk, going to Vegas and marrying a guy who owns a Pinto. At least by the end of the song, she’s wailing “What have I done?!” The most authentic sounding country was heard in two-steppers like Cupid’s Got a Shotgun. There was even some Carrie-goes-reggae material, One Way Ticket, part of the lighter, more sunshiny mood offered in a mini-set aboard what appeared to be a floating back porch that trundled and swayed slowly above the heads of the audience. It was one ridiculous special effect among several – the confetti tornado was the best – but the star was wearing Daisy Dukes at the time. So thanks again, summer.
The best part, as is the case with any gifted singer, was the heartstring-tugging ballads. Temporary Home – about a foster care kid – and Jesus Take the Wheel, about a single mom at the end of her rope, came back to back and left no dry eye in the house that I could see. Neither song was personal. The killer encore ballad sure was, though: I Know You Won’t, taking the deceptively no-big-deal of a guy not calling her back and turning it into a drama of epic proportions. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, a wise MAN once said. Just know that in the hands of certain other female country superstars, it could’ve been worse. A lot worse.
General rule with opening acts for this sort of thing: Give your fans some eye candy and they’ll love you even more. Lucky for this crowd that Hunter Hayes has both substance and showmanship to go with his hunka hunka burnin love looks. The women went wild over this 21-year-old Louisiana native whose bouncy, soul-infused, Huey Lewisian country rock goodness was dedicated to “all of you” - each and every shiny, happy tune. They seemed to know this one: “I just wanna wrap you up, I wanna kiss your lips, I wanna make you feel wanted,” melting hearts as he sat behind the piano. He killed on a Bruno Mars tune. At one point he sounded like the guy from Wide Mouth Mason had gone country. Kid’s a pretty mean guitar picker, too, and you know what that means: Hunter Hayes is the next Brad Paisley - now that Brad Paisley has become … well, you know.
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