Under-par for Underwood

Carrie Underwood "Play On" (5/10)

I am not a huge Carrie fan, although American Idol is something close to my favorite thing ever. I enjoyed her last two albums to the extent that they were well made, well written, and well sung. Unfortunately, this new offering only boasts two out of three of those.

Let's start with what she did best: Her voice is as flawless as ever. She is consistently powerful, and can display vulnerability and determination often within the same breath. Anyone who accuses her of being a bad singer is crazy, that is for sure. That being said, her pitch seems off in "Someday When I Stop Loving You", the second of many dreary ballads on the record. The key just doesn't seem to jive with her vocals, and what could have been a gorgeous song suffers because of it.

The second thing the album does correctly lies in the songwriting. Max (!!) Martin lends a hand on "Quitter," a fun frolic with banjos and steel drums (and possibly a ukulele?) that fills the quota all country albums must have of lyrics like "sit on your front porch" and "did you see the picket fence." "Cowboy Casanova," on the other hand, has a pure country title, but a total rock flavor. It's a new look for Underwood, and she wears it well.

Carrie herself co-writes seven out of the thirteen tracks. An instance where this works particularly well is during her duet with Sons of Sylvia "What Can I Say." Her voice stretches on the soaring chorus, where her not-often-heard falsetto makes a good song incredible. It almost distracts from the way she totally hogs the spotlight, forcing these Sons to play second fiddle (possibly literally).

While the lyrics and melodies often click, there are points where I honestly thought "What was she thinking?" This is never more true than on the preachy "Change," which church kids will be quoting in a month's time. "What do you do when you're watching TV/and an ad comes on, yeah you know the kind/flashing up pictures of a child in need/for a dime a day, you could save a life." I sat in abject horror and listened to her play the pretentious "Bono" card. Sorry Carrie, but I don't see you calling the "Save a Child" hotline and donating all your money to African countries.

The main problem with the album is that the two strengths don't equal a hit. The great songwriting is washed down the river to make room for power-belting from Underwood. While it's initially thrilling, it quickly grows mundane and tiresome. This is generally a hit or miss affair, making it a perfect "download some songs, leave others in the dust" CD.

Download this: "Cowboy Casanova," "Quitter," "Undo It," "Temporary Home," "What Can I Say?"