Track Listing

1. Cowboy Casanova
2. Quitter
3. Mama's Song
4. Change
5. Undo It
6. Someday When I Stop Loving You
7. Songs Like This
8. Temporary Home
9. This Time
10. Look At Me
11. Unapologize
12. What Can I Say (Featuring Sons of Sylvia)
13. Play On

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15 in Music
• Released on: 2009-11-03
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Album Description
2009 release from the four-time Grammy Award winner and former American Idol winner. Carrie has come a long way since her AI days including selling more than 10 million albums, garnering ACM and CMA awards and becoming the first Country artist in history to achieve 10 #1 singles from her first two albums. To top that all off, she was also recently inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame! This 2009 album includes the first single 'Cowboy Casanova'.

Customer Reviews

Crossing Over Never Seemed So Easy
Not since Shania Twain bared her midriff, and gained legions of fans outside of the country music scene, has there been a disc that blatantly wears its intentions on its (album) sleeve. Literally, the songwriting and producing credits are littered with a who's who of names that are ruling the charts in every genre. And with a longer listening, this album has to be Underwood's most focused. The melodies are smoother, "This Time" with its stuttering drum just below the mix and harmony is just so breezy and effective it leaves you with no choice but to tap your toes and sing-along to the chorus.

But that is what the whole album is built on, an inner arena feeling. It has a much fuller sound than carnival ride. It's grander, and oozing in bombast, "Cowboy Casanova" & "Songs Like This" give you just enough fiddle and twang to satisfy without purely catering to a pop audience. With such stellar production it is almost too easy to ignore the real star in all of this: Carrie Underwood. Her vocals and interpretation has grown, shockingly, from her last disc, which found her range expanding. "Someday When I Stop Loving You" & "Temporary Home," brings to mind the best of Martina McBride, heartbreaking beauty at its best.

Carrie Underwood is going for an even broader radio sound, but who isn't in country music today. Yes, there are a bigger array of genre bending producers that bring elements of R&B, Rock, etc., but it works so brilliantly that you can't fault her for it. If Underwood wasn't delivering such honest delivery and conviction this would be a four star disc, but she brings so much to the table vocally that is impossible to not feel that she has given her all to this project, you can feel her pushing for you to enjoy this disc. There is a faith and purity to this woman's delivery that brings to mind the best artists from Cline to Womack (whose latest CD isn't garnering as much attention as it deserves). Country music -- heck, music in general needs her.

Vocal magic from Carrie Underwood
I am a huge Carrie Underwood fan and was filled wih high anticipation for the release of her 3rd cd PLAY ON. As with any of my favorite performers I always listen the first time with a critical ear and upon first play I was not sure what I thought. I've now played it at least 5 more times and have certainly developed some feelings about this release. First, I must say that I think it is still shocking just what a true broad range Carrie has both with musicality and emotional delivery when tackling a song. And when a listener finds themselves listening to a new release real close with a critical ear that means you know you are listening to major talent and have expectations.

I agree that CARNIVAL RIDE was an advancement over the crital debut SOME HEARTS but I felt in some ways it did follow the same formula. On this, Carrie's 3rd venture we really see her taking creative chances and stepping out over that small country line. I always wonder who decides what is country, what is country pop and when is it a crossover. Country pop and crossover are often used as negative terms and to me any true artist needs to take chances as they spread their message and define their identity thru music. For me, Carrie Underwood possesses a natural, raw voice that delivers openly and honestly whether soaring with the high notes of a belter or caressing a gentle note of a ballad. Whatever she sings she brings her emotional interpretation and that honesty rings true. To me this is what country music is. Songs that tell stories and speak of strong feelings. Yes, some songs may lean more towards pop but you may be able to take the girl out of country but you can't take the country out of the girl.

Highlights here are the country pop COWBOY CASANOVA, SONGS LIKE THIS and UNDO on which her vocals are remarkable. Her tender vulnerable takes on SOMEDAY WHEN I STOP LOVING YOU, TEMPORARY HOME and LOOK AT ME are truly inspiring. WHAT CAN I SAY is a duet with Sons of Sylvia and interestingly I find it sounds country when Carrie sings but then it seems to change to rock when the group joins in. I love the song but they are no match for Carrie. I find the closing number PLAY ON to also be strong.

Bottom line, Carrie Underwood is a truly gifted vocalist with an amazing range. Whether belting or ballading her voice turns any song into a magical journey. Her voice is not put through machines to sound stronger or to use for dance tracks. What you hear is Carrie, pure and true. This is my favorite cd by Carrie and I give her the highest kudos for venturing out and taking chances on this cd. She is a true artist and I look forward to the rest of her career. This cd is a must buy and if you are wondering whether to buy it or not all I can say is THAT VOICE !! That is reason enough. Quality music from a quality artist.

What can I say aside from, "I LOVE YOU CARRIE!"
Before I die I really, really want to see Carrie Underwood in concert. I know that sounds like a vain goal, but I've followed her glorious career since she first auditioned for A.I. and I strongly consider her not only the most deserving winner of the glorified personality contest, but she is one of the strongest voices in music today. The one good thing about a show like A.I. is that you cannot hide your blemishes behind lip-syncing or vocal recordings; what you hear is what you get. From her fist acapella it was obvious that Carrie was the real deal, and she has not stumbled vocally ONCE since then.

I only wish that she were a little more studious when it came to song selection.

Since her debut `Some Hearts', Carrie has cemented herself as a true Country Darling, and her third album is no exception. There are the fun, trashy songs in the same vein as `Before He Cheats' and `Last Name' as well as the catchy uptempo ballads like `Some Hearts', but of course she truly shines when she belts out the lovelorn scorchers like `I Know You Wont'.

So, what tracks on `Play On' stack up?

The album opens with the first single, `Cowboy Casanova', and the song is really, really fun. It's a great way to start the album because this style really suits Carrie. It shows off a spunk in personality that she didn't really showcase on the show. Her vocal gymnastics are really effective on these types of songs because they add a layer of uniqueness to them. We have heard many other Country starlets tackle this breed of music (Miranda Lambert comes to mind) but Carrie edges them out with her natural (and mind blowing) talent. `Songs Like This' completes the trilogy that is `Before He Cheats/Last Name'. It is just as fun and just as memorable.

`Undo It' has that catchy spunk of the aforementioned, but it also has a nice mellowness to the verse structure. It has a little `been-there-heard-that' effervescence to it, but it is still a very likable track.

Speaking of `been-there-heard-that', the one thing that concerns me about Carrie's albums is the amount of unremarkable generic tracks. She sounds impeccable on every one, but there are only a handful of songs that really stand out as truly impressive. Songs like `This Time', `Unapologize' and the title track `Play On' are just pleasantly forgettable. They sound great, and there is nothing wrong with them, but they are easily shrugged off as nothing special. `Quitter' is not forgettable, thankfully. I wasn't initially turned on by the way the verses were sung, but the song has such a bubbly frothiness to it that I can't help but adore it; and when Carrie hits that re-chorus she just illuminates with a radiant loveliness. There is a sweet softness to her voice here.

LOVE IT!

So now we get to the power ballads, those beautifully restrained tracks that showcase the beauty in this young woman's voice. There are a slew of them here (six to be exact), and a few of them are nothing short of miraculous. Sadly, a few of them are underwhelming too.

Let's get the `not so wonderful' out of the way first.

I want to make it clear that there is nothing wrong with the vocals or even the musical arrangements on `Change', `Someday When I Stop Loving You' or `Temporary Home', in fact on `Temporary Home' Carrie sounds nearly the best she does on the entire album (I love the shreds of vulnerability she evokes with her phrasing; which aids to the songs message). The issue I have with these songs is there near cheesy gimmicky quality. `Change' and `Temporary Home' are just far too `lets raise our voices and uplift the less fortunate'. I know that this is a common practice in the Country community (there are MANY songs like this within this genre) but sometimes it can just be too much. `Someday When I Stop Loving You' just sounds too familiar. There is nothing profound about it. It's beautiful, but I could see anyone singing it. It's not a defining song for Carrie.

But for the three that underperform, there are three that more than make up for it.

`Mama's Song' is going to grace many wedding dances, I promise you that. One could say that it is unfair for me to call out `Change' and `Temporary Home' and not mention the gimmicky `Mama's Song' in the same breath, but it is all about preference, and for me there is nothing wrong with the clichés in `Mama's Song'. First of all, it is sung impeccably, just utterly marvelous. The message is also beautifully handled. It is as much an ode to motherhood as it is to pure love between a man and a woman. The way she sings the chorus gives me chills. I love the lyrical content here; just perfection. If you want to see Carrie prove her vocals look no further than `Look At Me', a stunningly sincere ballad that allows Carrie to croon her Southern Twang better than the rest of them.

Personally, nothing on the album compares to the beautiful `What Can I Say' featuring Sons of Sylvia. This is one of the most tragically authentic `break up' songs I've ever heard, with vocals that nearly bring me to tears (I love it when a single voice can move you in such powerful ways).

So, after listening to this album it should be clear why, on my deathbed, I'm going to hope and pray that I've had the chance to see this gorgeous (OMG she is beautiful) young woman sing live.