Here are my quick thoughts and opinions on Carrie Underwood’s third album ‘Play On’ that was released earlier this week.  I listened to the album once and put down my thoughts on each song as I heard it.

I am sure some of these songs will grow on me with more listens, but here is what I thought the first time through:

1. Cowboy Casanova (Carrie Underwood/Mike Elizondo/Brett James) - Very catchy and similar to ‘Last Name’ from her last album. It was the first single released off ‘Play On’ and could end up as the most popular tune from this album.  I like to call this “angry-spurned-countrock.” Carrie is warning other women to stay away from men that “…look like a cool drink of water,” but instead are a “candy coated misery.”

2. Quitter (Max Martin/Shellback/Savan Kotecha) - Smooth and easy paced. This song gives Carrie’s voice a chance to shine through.  A lighter song than on her previous albums. This song is decent but one of the weaker songs on the album.

3. Mama’s Song (Carrie Underwood/Kara DioGuardi/Marti Frederiksen/Luke Laird) - A beautiful song that thousands of daughters will have played at their weddings from here til the dusk of Dixie.  ”Mama you will never lose me/giving me away is not saying goodbye.”  This song is a reassurance to a mother about her daughter finding a man, falling for said man, and marrying him.  It’s peaceful and likely bring reassurance to many worried mothers as their daughters find love and create their own families.

4. Change (Katrina Elam/Josh Kear/Chris Tompkins) - Encouraging song about helping others and to not listen to others about “being a fool” to believe you can change the world.  The song will end up with air play and liking on Idol, but it is a bit too repetitive and comes off sounding like a Public Service Announcement to me.  Look for Underwood to perform it for ‘Idol Gives Back.’

5. Undo It (Carrie Underwood/Kara DioGuardi/Marti Frederickson/Luke Laird) - The antithetical song to ‘Mama’s Song’ about undoing a past relationship gone horribly wrong. It comes as no surprise that the song was written by the exact same songwriters as ‘Mama’s Song.’  This songwriting team likely cranked this companion set out on the same day in a small room in Los Angeles.  This song starts off uneven but finishes with a rocking rhythm ending.

6. Someday When I Stop Loving You (Hillary Lindsey/Steve McEwan/Gordie Sampson) - Another song about heartbreak and the impossibility of moving on from love gone awry.  Lyrically well done in a similar fashion to 2007’s ‘So Small.’  Carrie does a good job of letting the lyrics soak into your soul about the pain that comes with letting someone go that isn’t meant to go.

7. Songs Like This (Marty Dodson/Jerry Flowers/Tom Shapiro) - Carrie picks up the tempo on this one after several slower tunes about the sadness from a broken heart.  ”If there wasn’t for guys like you there wouldn’t be songs like this one to tell the entire world what a jerk you are.”  Here she rebounds in a revenge and spiteful way from the heartache of being done wrong.

8. Temporary Home (Carrie Underwood/Luke Laird/Zac Maloy) - This song has a good message but is simply just too cheesy for me. It’s about a little boy in foster care being in a ‘Temporary Home,’ a young woman in a halfway house that is her ‘Temporary Home,’ and an elderly man sick in the hospital in his ‘Temporary Home.’  I am sure some will find this song to be their favorite on the album…just too much of a downer for myself.

9. This Time (Hillary Lindsey/Steve McEwan/Gordie Sampson) - Take advantage of the here and now. Don’t waste a minute or overlook what or who is in front of you for it could be your destiny. That is the basic message of the song. Carrie picks up the beat here after ‘T-Home.’  The song is well paced and is a very well done song about love, hope, and not passing up what is in front of you.  One of the better songs on the album.

10. Look At Me (Jim Collins/Paul Overstreet) - Perhaps the most forgettable song on the record.  One day you will hear it while in the dentist’s chair and not hear a single word of the lyrics or have a clue who is singing it.  Sadly it’s that forgettable.

11. Unapologize (Carrie Underwood/Hillary Lindsey/Raine Maida/Chantal Kreviazuk) - When dating we often say things that we try to take back or apologize for. Some will blame it on the wine or the passion of the moment. Here the message is about meaning exactly what was said in that moment, not taking it back, unapologizing because you meant exactly what you said the night before, even more the next day.  However, if you don’t listen close to the lyrics you might think its another song about heartbreak.  The lyrics make this song.

12. What Can I Say (Carrie Underwood/David Hodges/Steve McEwan) The only duet on the album, with Sons of Sylvia.  They do a good job of adding texture, depth, and balls to this song, which goes far to differentiate it from several similar sounding songs on this album. This one is about regret, pure and simple.  It’s about picking up the phone and writing a letter a thousand times only to never call or send it.  The biggest winner from this song will be the Sons of Sylvia.

13. Play On (Carrie Underwood/Natalie Hemby/Luke Laird) - The title track and last song on Carrie’s third album.  The finale is simply about perseverance.  It reminds me of Trevor McFarlin during Hell Week back in 1998.  He was asked what perseverance meant to him.  He said, “I think of Chumbawamba, ‘I get knocked down/But I get back up again/You’re never going to hold me down’.” And Trevor was pretty right on in his answer. This song expounds on that same message and is the right song for this album to end on. We must ‘Play On!’  We must always be ready for what is next, always keep going, keep playing on no matter what we are dealt! It’s human nature to fall, but your fall will never matter for long if you keep getting up.

‘Play On’ is an extremely solid third album from Carrie.  I never listened to her first album in it’s entirety, but did purchase and listen to her second album ‘Carnival Ride’ several times.  ’Play’ is better than ‘Carnival’ on many levels. It has more hits, variations, and balance. Producer Mark Bright did a good job of finding balance in speed and song selection for ‘Play On.’

Best Songs: Cowboy Casanova, Mama’s Song, Undo It, Someday When I Stop Loving You, Songs Like This, Unapologize, Play On.

Good Filler: Quitter, Change, Temporary Home, This Time, What Can I Say

Forgettable: Look At Me

(4 out of five stars)

-Joshua Holmes