Disco de Gretchen Wilson: “Here For the Party”

Gretchen Wilson is a breath of fresh air in country music. It's the difference between listening to a real natural talent who can sing her heart out vs. listening to a fake barbie doll with a manufactured sound. Nashville has been churning out pure mush for the last decade and they lost me to the Texas music scene. But Gretchen proves that raw talent can still kick the door open in Nashville and I am glad she did - it's fun and energizing - Gretchen your great - go Girl!

WHo would have thought Gretchen Wilson would score a #1 album for HERE FOR THE PARTY? Well, she did...and here's why. She's got a good voice, she doesn't get swept up in the hum drums of country honky tonk life, and she keeps her album FUN! Yes, I said it...FUN! I think a lot of people like her because she likes to have a good time...and with the way the world is today...we need some music like that every now and then. While she does sound similar to many of the other country ladies out there today, I find that she tells it like it is....just like her comparison of two retailers in her monster hit "Redneck Woman". Who else would have thought of that??? All I have to say is, "You Go Girl!" I hope the next outing from Ms. Wilson will be this much fun. If it is, we better block off a whole city section for this party...it's too hot to handle!

I'm not sure what to make of Gretchen Wilson. The production on this album smacks of commercial Nashville sheen, but her material seems critical of commercial Nashville sheen. Her first single ("Redneck Woman") was, of course, an enormous hit. Her second single, "Here for the Party," was a hit, but was sort of rightfully pegged as Redneck Woman Part 2. Just when I started to doubt her, she released "When I Think About Cheating," something very different and probably almost too traditional for country radio. (It is doing fairly well, riding on the momentum of her seemingly-overnight rise to stardom.) There are, then, some interesting contradictions at work here, and I think that might be the point. Anyone who argues that Wilson is the "real deal" is clearly neglecting the role of savvy marketing, and anyone who argues that she is ONLY a marketing creation is neglecting Wilson's obvious talent.

Gretchen Wilson is just what country needs. Female country artists who "rock" are typically seen as commercial outcasts, as are most (or all) female country traditionalists, and Wilson marries both of these non-commercial groups and somehow makes the result commercial. If she does not possess the legitimate fire of a Tanya Tucker, and if she is not as down-home as Loretta Lynn, at the very least she brings elements of these styles into the mainstream... thus bringing attention to neglected artists who recently haven't been able to break through the sterility of Nashville. If nothing else, Gretchen Wilson is a welcome and much-needed departure from the country diva slump we have seen during the last several years.

So yes, she's a commercialized version of authenticity, and perhaps not quite the glorified Redneck Woman that she professes to be, but her material must be commercial in order to be heard. Don't fault her for being mainstream. Instead, appreciate the new elements she brings to the mainstream and the manner in which they might change country radio for the better.

I do not describe myself as a country fan, although my collection includes CD's by Loretta, Wynonna, Reba and the much maligned Shania. What can I say, I'm a sucker for the ladies.

So I bought this CD due to the massive publicity surrounding "Redneck Woman" without first hearing it, as I do not listen to country radio. Gotta say, I'm pleasantly suprised! Girl's got some true grit to her and listening to this music you get a real sense that she's "real" and I like that. I also like the fact that she writes most of her own material, this makes her much more of an "artist" in my opinion. Favorite tracks include the bang-up opener "Here For The Party", feisty "Homewrecker", more traditional "Holdin' You", "Chariot", which I can't find the right word for (Gospel tinged? Hick-hop? Stirring, regardless of what you label it) and of course the now-classic "Redneck Woman". I agree with the previous reviewer that care must be taken to avoid being pigeonholed as a cartoon RW for the rest of her life. I'm listening to this CD alot more than I thought I would and can honestly recommend it.

This CD is a breath of fresh air! Here's hoping that more artists will emerge like Gretchen Wilson or maybe current artists will tackle COUNTRY music as Ms. Wilson does. This CD is loaded with the stuff that made country music famous. You won't find any Faith/Shania pop fluff here, don't get me wrong I like both Faith and Shania, but country they ain't! I was hooked on the CD after just one spin. The current single "Redneck Woman" sounds very much like something Tanya Tucker would have recorded, the fact that she's mentioned within the lyric just proves the point a bit more. In fact many of the songs on this CD sound like they came from Tanya's catalog and that's a good thing! Vocally Gretchen sounds a LOT like Dixie Chick Natalie Maines.

I just really love this album. "When I Think About Cheating" recalls a sound I haven't heard in country music in years. "Homewrecker" is the track that will make you swear it's the Dixie Chicks. The other tracks are just as great. If you like REAL country this is the CD for you!