Faith Hill Album: “Cry”

The first thing I want to say is sorry to Faith as I bashed this album in my review when the album came out. I was disappointed that this was not her typical music: Country. The fact is this album has grown on me. There are some really great songs on this. Probably my favorite is "Baby You Belong". But other good songs are "If You're Gonna Fly Away", "Unsavable", "Free", "I Think I Will". Faith sounds good but it is completely different than previous material including "Breathe".

Anyway, I think this album will produce many hits and I hope Faith has a long happy career ahead of her.

Well, I'll admit it, I doubted Mrs. Tim McGraw could pull off an album that could appeal to both country and pop/rock fans.

I was wrong to doubt the power of Faith Hill...she did.

This album is extremely good! From the "don't-mess-with-me!" ("Free", "This Is Me") to the mourning ballads ("You're Still Here") it's pure gold. Honestly, I haven't stopped playing this CD since I bought it in October 2002.

Here's the lowdown on the tracks:

CRY - Perfect for getting over a hard break-up. ("Give it up baby/I hear you're doin' fine/Nothin's gonna save me/I see it in your eyes")

ONE - Decent. It's a good, "I'm over you" song, but it can get a little old. ("One is breaking into two/And my heart is turning blue/And you still don't get it do you?")

WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN - Beautiful. A great song about not realizing how you feel until it's too late. ("When the lights go down/And there's nothin' left to be/When the lights go down/And the truth is all you see")

BEAUTIFUL - My least favorite. I personally don't like the spoken-word verses, but it's kinda cute. A Valentine's Day kind of song. ("I love how soft you touch my skin/Like you're touching the wings of a butterfly")

UNSAVEABLE - Another break up song. I think it's easy to relate to, c'mon who hasn't been stuck in a hopeless relationship. ("Baby I cried/A little too hard/A little too long/What I thought was right was way too wrong and too far gone")

BABY YOU BELONG - A cute little love song. Sadly, it is almost Hallmark-y. I have mixed feelings for this one. ("Like a familiar song/Every word is telling me/That the time has finally come/Now here you are")

IF YOU'RE GONNA FLY AWAY - Written by Pink and Linda Perry, it tackles a tough topic - drug addiction. ("So you'll take a thousand pills/Hope it will be numb/Lie awake in bed/Counting all that's wrong"). Faith's vocals are amazing on this one.

STRONGER - About trying to save a relationship, much more positive than UNSAVEABLE. ("So cry for me baby/And I'll cry for you/And we'll both break down and we'll both break through/And we'll both be stronger")

IF THIS IS THE END - Another familiar situation, first REAL love. Those breakups hurt the most, cause you don't want to let go but you know you have to.("It was so easy/We were so young/It's only natural it came undone")

THIS IS ME - An "In-your-face!" kinda song! Sweet, perky, and positive. A nice change from the breakup songs. ("What I do is who I am/All of my impurities/Are right here on my sleeve/This is me")

BACK TO YOU - Great song. Like WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN in the "I can't believe I let you go" sense. ("I would walk the world, cross the seas/Journey beyond the moon/I'd do anything, go anywhere/To find my way back to you")

I THINK I WILL - Not my favorite. I kinda think it should've been crossed off the album. ("Gonna change, before I break/Gonna take your heartache and make it mine/This time, oh, I think I will")

YOU'RE STILL HERE - This one makes me cry. It's about mourning the death of someone you love, only to realize they've never really left you. Very beautiful, probably Faith's best song since THERE YOU'LL BE. It reminds me of 9-11. ("You're still here/I can see you in my baby's eyes/And I laugh and cry/You're still here")

If this isn't enough for you, I got three words for you: BUY THIS ALBUM!!!!!!!!! Well, buy two. Keep one and give one to someone you care about, it's the perfect gift for anyone with a love for music!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love this album, pre-ordered it in October, got it and have been playing since, on a daily basis, I have yet to get sick of it and am still finding new riffs to love. Many people would say that Faith Hill isn't country anymore, but I SAY, she isn't JUST country anymore. Big difference there!Am I the only one who thinks that a true artist can't be contained within a single genre?An artist needs to stretch and grow or her product becomes stagnant, often they'll transform into something similar to what they always were, and in the end will end up going full circle, but since the point is the trip itself, who cares as long as its a happy landing. This is STILL the Faith Hill we fell in love with. Musically this album has some great songs with even better arrangements that pull the listener in and takes them for a ride. Thats what I look for in music...Faith's voice gets stronger with each album and I am eagerly looking forward to the next.

Wow! Never have more emotions been so tightly interlaced together. Neither have words nor melodies been sung with such honesty. This is not just a CD, this is a work of art. Faith has reviewed her brush strokes, improved her techniques, blended her hues with remarkable accuracy, and the result is nothing less than a masterpiece. From the albums upbeat tunes (Free, One, This Is Me, If You're Gonna Fly Away) to her sultry ballads (Cry, Beautiful, Baby You Belong, Stronger, If This Is The End) Faith delivers a remarkable album. Perhaps the days of producing songs like ` I Can't Do That Any More' and `Wild One' are over. But Faith delivers her new material with such sincere emotion and conviction that we are more than willing to look over that, and gladly accept the metamorphic changes that have resulted in

Faith Hill -The Diva. CRY is a journey of self-realization. You will experience the jubilant side of love, with exclamations of contentment and happiness, and also experience the turbulent side of love, with it's heartache and misery. Faith empowers with her anthems of freedom, and devastates with her songs of heart break. It is no wonder that she is one of the most popular female entertainers today. What differentiates this CD from others you ask? Faiths vocals, her impeccable taste for picking songs that play with human emotions, and that fact that after listening to this CD you actually feel as if your hunger has been satisfied. After hearing songs that leave much to be desired, it is refreshing to hear songs with quality and substance.

When I first listened to this CD, I was more than a little disappointed. As a major country fan, I was disappointed at her songs seeming more popish and even gospelish, and I didn't really love any of the songs. (With the exception of "One.") But why does it matter which category music fits into as long as it is good music??? I listened to this CD again, and I got more used to it. This album is very different from her previous albums, so it takes some getting used to, but now I absoulutely LOVE IT!!! Faith's vocals are just INCREDIBLY AMAZING!!! Every time I hear her voice, I am blown away. Here is what I think of each song on the album:

1)Free - Great beat!!! Great words!!! This song has ENERGY, but

it's probably not for everyone, even though I love it.

2)Cry - This song's words are amazing. Faith puts alot of

3)One - My FAVORITE song on the album!!! Like I said before,

4)When The Lights Go Down - I really didn't like this song AT ALL

5)Beautiful - A very different type of song. Not one of my

6)Unsaveable - Love the guitar that opens this song!!! Very

7)This is me - This song is one of the "countrier" songs on the

8)Stronger - Pretty, pretty song!!! She starts it out

9)Back To You - Great song!!! Lots of emotion.

10)If You're Gonna Fly Away - Kind of a gospelish song, but still

11)If This Is The End - Wonderful song, sung very beautifully.

12)I Think I Will - Funky beat!!! Fun song!!!

13)You're Still Here - Great, emotional song, with a good beat.

Overall, a great album!!! It has "Grammy" written all over it. Be sure to listen to it a couple of times before you get used to it.