Garth Brooks Album: “No Fences [Bonus Track]”

Garth Brooks became a music superstar with the release of his second CD, "No Fences," in 1990. He released four singles from the CD in 1990-1991, and all of them hit #1. The first single was "Friends in Low Places," which was #1 for 4 weeks on the country chart, making it Garth's biggest song ever. Country Music Television (CMT) recently named it one of the Top 10 country songs of all time. It's a rollicking good time and undeniably great music; the kind of song you'll hear in bars and honky-tonks now and for decades to come.

"Unanswered Prayers" was the second single - a sweet ballad about life working out as it should, even when you don't get what you wanted at the time. It was #1 for 2 weeks, and was named by CMT as one of the Top 10 love songs of all time. "Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House" is somewhat retro-sounding with extremely clever lyrics (#1 for 1 week). The CD actually starts with the fourth single, the rock-tinged "The Thunder Rolls." Although the song's video tells the story of an abusive husband, the song lyrics actually are about a woman waiting for her potentially unfaithful husband to arrive home late at night. The song was a bit risky at the time, as it represented a more rock-influenced direction for Garth. Indeed, the CD overall is less traditionally country-sounding than his debut.

More than a decade later, a fifth song hit the Top 10 when "Wild Horses" peaked at #7 in early 2001. The song is about a rodeo rider who has to travel and be away from his family, and it's one of the highlights of the CD. The remaining songs are all fairly solid, including another Garth interpretation of a Tony Arata-penned song - "Same Old Story" (Tony wrote "The Dance" from Garth's first CD).

The CD was an immediate hit - selling old over 5 million copies within a year of its initial release; it's gone on to become the best-selling country record by a male artist ever, with 16 million copies sold (only Shania Twain's second CD has sold more copies). Although the CD is arguably not Garth's best (I'd nominate his debut), it does contain some of his best singles, and it's certainly understandable why it was such a huge hit. Clearly, Garth was perfecting his style of pop-country; a style that would enable him to go on to sell over 100 million records and become the fourth biggest-selling artist ever.

Rarely have I seen critics trash an entertainer in the manner that they attacked Garth Brooks. Are there better country acts out there? Of course there are. Are there better pop acts out there? Same answer, yet again, but it seems like critics seemed especially harsh on Brooks because of how successful he was in ushering the era of country-pop to the masses. Many saw him as the devil incarnate using with marketing skills by using the purity of more traditional acts, such as Merle Haggard, George Straight, and Jack Anderson just to name a few, and somehow prostituting it to the masses. I think that the perception is unjust as Garth's music is influenced as much as any other artist as they don't work in a vacuum.

In my opinion Garth's music could be compared to more critically acclaimed country/pop/rock acts, such as The Eagles, Jackson Browne, Kenny Loggins, and Dan Fobelberg. Although two of my favorite songs (If Tomorrow Never Comes and The Dance) come from his self-titled debut CD, "No Fences" (his second release) was his most cohesive and the one to hit pay dirt with gems like sweeping The Thunder Rolls, the honky tonk Friends In Low Places, and Unanswered Prayers, which always gets a rise out of me.

While some may just think that he is a lightweight with an ear for what will succeed, other reviews start getting into irrelevant issues like his culpability in the Trish Yearwood divorce so I wanted to put in my two cents as I really like this CD. While not a masterpiece or an innovator, Garth Brooks, especially in this release, put together a set of songs that represent pure entertainment and it certainly does not make me feel bad the morning after. Garth was not a novelty act like say The Spice Girls, and the fact that I am enjoying this release as much as I ever have convinces me that this music is good period. Sometimes you may want to listen to Patsy Cline. Johnny Cash, Hank Williams (Sr. and Jr.) and it's just as acceptable to want your share of Garth Brooks. Popular appeal does not necessarily mean that something is bad. And for the "reviewers" who leave one line hate (and even love) notes, that don't bother to get into why they disliked (or liked) a product, it is a disservice to the vast majority of AWESOME people who take the time to try to put words down that will help the rest of us make better entertainment buying choices. Thanks to all the great people who have helped me discover acts like The Mavericks and Los Lonely Boys, just to name a couple, that I would have never had the pleasure to listen to without your valued input.

I've listened to practically every one of Garth Brooks' albums, and I think No Fences is his best album. "Friends In Low Places", the first of four #1 hits off this album, is Garth's classic up-tempo barroom anthem, with Garth being joined by a lot of his "friends" on the last chorus to the song. Another fun, upbeat song which became a big hit for Garth is the honky-tonker "Two Of A Kind, Workin' On A Full House". Garth remade the Fifties pop hit "Mr. Blue" for this record, and Garth's version is quite a bit more upbeat than the original. The ballads, though, are the highlights here. The autobiographical song "Unanswered Prayers", the reflective song "Wolves", the bluesy, melodic tune "Same Old Story", the rodeo song "Wild Horses", and the intense ballads "New Way To Fly" and "Victim Of The Game" are all strong songs. The song that really gets the record going, though, is the grim tale "The Thunder Rolls", with the distorted lead guitar and the thunderclaps in the background. "The Thunder Rolls" is one of Garth's best songs, even though it was highly controversial when it first came out because of its portrayal of adultery and domestic violence. In fact, two well-known cable channels, The Nashville Network and Country Music Television, refused to air the video to "The Thunder Rolls" because of its violent content. However, "The Thunder Rolls" is the high point on an impressive album. In my opinion, Garth has yet to release a record that tops No Fences, even though he has continued to make good music.

This Is His Best Selling Album To Date. This Album Sold Over 10,000 Million Copies Around The Wrold. Because Of It, "Friends In Low Places" Is One Of His Best Songs On This Album, Along With Trisha Yearwood Singing Background Vocals. The Best Dance Song On This Album Is "Two Of A Kind, Working On A Full House". Plus He Tells God About His "Unanswered Prayers". "The Thunder Rolls" Won A Video Of The Year Award In 1991.

For a while, this was the best selling country CD of all time. It's got a few of the songs that made him big - "Friends In Low Places", "The Thunder Rolls", and "Unanswered Prayers". But there are also some obscure songs that I thought were just as good or better - like "Wolves", "Mr. Blue", "Victim of the Game", and "Same Old Story". On the new version (with 11 songs on it), there's a beautiful ballad called "This Ain't Tennessee" that wasn't on the original. This was probably the CD that really made it for him. And it's still a good one.