Martina McBride Album: “Greatest Hits”

Martina sings both happy and social issue songs equally excellent. She shoots the best videos and chooses the best songs to sing. She recently released her first Greatest Hits album and this is how I rate each song.

"My Baby Loves Me": good... a very sweet and happy song. (5 stars)

"Life #9": great... an up-tempo song, full of country dancing and two-stepping. (5 stars)

"Independence Day": Martina's career hit... an excellent song against domestic violence and can be used for patriotic purposes. (5 stars)

"Strangers": I love this song... but I am sad Martina never released it as a single. However, I'm glad she included it in this collection. (5 stars)

"Safe in the Arms of Love": a very cool sounding record, the background vocals are amazing, Martina's voice rules and it really is "pure ear candy."

"Wild Angels": nice... Martina's first #1 song and an overall very happy song. Just like a cartoon. (5 stars)

"Valentine": a love ballad well sung by Martina, perfect for all weddings. She duets this song with guest artist, pianist, Jim Brickman. (5 stars)

"Broken Wing": what a beautiful song... I love how Martina holds the last note 'fly' for 12 seconds!!! (5 stars)

"Happy Girl": another up-tempo song, has real nice melody, shows the 'happy side' of Martina. (5 stars)

"Wrong Again": I love this... it has a different chorus every time, nice background vocals, an overall a strong vocal performance by Martina. (5 stars)

"Whatever You Say": wow... I still remember the vocal performance Martina did on the 1999 ACM awards of this song and I am blown away. I am in awe of such determination. (5 stars)

"I Love You": very cool song, found on the 'Runaway Bride' soundtrack and to this day, Martina's most successful single, spent 5 consecutive weeks at the #1 spot in Country charts. (5 stars)

"Love's the Only House": wow... this powerhouse song shows the mature, humanizing side of Martina. It makes you want to do something for your fellow humans. Full of very positive messages. (5 stars)

"There You Are": sung really low and soft in this recording. However, if you see Martina in concert, this song is a very powerful 5 star performance. (4 stars)

"When God-Fearin' Woman Get the Blues": a very cool up-tempo song, and drop dead hilarious... against cheating, and traditional instruments such as dobro and fiddle are included. (5 stars)

"Where Would You Be": my all-time favorite song by a female vocalist!!! Amazing and breathtaking! I love the raw emotions it has and its sincerity. Proves that Martina is the best soprano she can be. (6 stars!!!!)

"Concrete Angel": a very sad song about child abuse. Martina makes you want to do something and help today's children about this. May radio stations never stop playing this! (5 stars)

"Blessed": very good song about Martina's life being 'blessed.' Has very cool background vocals, by Carolyn Dawn Johnson, and a cool music video. (5 stars)

Overall Rating of the Album: 5 STARS!!!!!!!! (5 = BEST)

Rush out and buy this album!!!

Take Linda Ronstadt's clear, strong, perfect voice ... stir in Dolly Parton's authenticity and social awareness ... add a dash of Melissa Etheridge's big, arena-ready sound ... and you'll probably get something very close to Martina McBride. I suppose it's debatable whether Martina McBride is "one of the world's best singers," as her producer Paul Worley gushes in the liner notes of this CD. You won't get any arguments from me, however. McBride is an unusually strong vocalist, regardless of genre. Her voice is unwavering and her phrasing is absolutely impeccable. Straddling the line between pop and country, her performances always ring true whether it's the soaring, rock-flavored "Safe in the Arms of Love," the down-home raveup "When God Fearin' Women Get the Blues," or the hushed heartbreaker, "Concrete Angel."

As this CD proves, McBride's material has been magnificent throughout her career. Even the early tracks sound great. It's nice to have a CD with songs that actually say something, too. Sure, there are several love songs, but you'll also find social commentary here and there ("Independence Day," "Concrete Angel") that bites without being heavy-handed. In fact, there isn't a dud here, and when's the last time you could say that about a CD containing 19 tracks? This is country-pop of the highest caliber. Recent Faith Hill converts would do well to pick up this CD.

This album is an example of a perfect `Greatest Hits' collection. It shows such sensitivity towards old fans, understanding of what newcomers and casual fans want, and respect for Martina's music.

The fans are rewarded with 4 new songs that are good enough to be on this collection (rather than the throwaways they could have been), plus some gorgeous photographs and thoughtful, revealing comments on every song from Martina and long-time producer Paul Worley.

The 18 songs are an excellent introduction to Martina, almost spanning her career and representing all aspects of her music - heartfelt ballads ('Strangers'), fun rockers ('When God-fearin' women get the blues', 'Wild Angels'), upbeat love songs ('I love you', 'Safe in the arms of love') and impassioned issues songs ('Independence Day', 'A Broken Wing'). Even if you don't like some tracks, there are enough for this to be great value! The chronological order and informative commentary put the songs in perspective, and it's also great as a sampler, with info on which songs come from which album if you want to explore further.

Martina's careful role in the project is obvious. I love her charmingly honest notes on which songs she doesn't like so much, and inclusion of a non-single fan favourite.

Her first album and Christmas album aren't covered so this isn't a comprehensive set, but that way it maintains quality. This is a five star album for fans of contemporary chart country, and I hope others like me who aren't into `mainstream country' enough to want individual albums discover this set and Martina's wonderful music!

Possessed of one of the most compelling voices in the genre of country music, Martina McBride is also one of the few artists in that particular genre to give us a steady output of consistently excellent material, as this compilation attests to. She's also that rare breed that can gravitate successfully between serious subject matter('Independence Day', 'Love's The Only House') and more lightweight fare('I Love You', 'My Baby Loves Me')with relative ease. Though she does latch on to an occasional clunker--the sappy 'Wrong Again' ranks among her absolute worst, despite being a #1 single--for the most part she's spot-on. The four new tracks continue that trend. 'When God-Fearin' Women Get The Blues' is somewhat atypical for McBride in comparison to her recent, more pop-oriented material, but the honky-tonker is a welcome respite from the pop fluff saturating country radio.

'Where Would You Be' is a sterling ballad, featuring a typically first-rate vocal performance. 'Blessed' is the least essential of the new tracks, though it's still a solid uptempo number. Which brings us to 'Concrete Angel', a stark ballad focusing on

child abuse that continues McBride's crusade to convey relevant social messages through song. Though not as subtle as, say Suzanne Vega's 'Luka', it's still a stunning work that may be far too sophisticated and adult for the narrow boundaries of country radio. As good a collection of songs as you'll find anywhere, from an artist who continues to astonish.

Martina McBride, how does one sum her up? I don't think anything that I say can even bring her justice. Her voice is incredible, she's leagues beyond most every other country singer. She sings songs that matter instead of the average cookie-cutter songs. Needless to say...this CD is the GREATEST! The absolutely only thing that could have been better is if there were more songs on it. Of course, it was probably a huge challenge to choose the songs for the greatest hits, for Martina has always song such excellent songs, it's hard to choose the greastest...they are all worthy of being the greatest. Of course the disc contains all the big songs of her career so far, "My Baby Loves Me", "Wild Angels", "Valentine", "I Love You", "Whatever You Say", "Safe In The Arms Of Love", and of course what is known as her career song, "Independence Day". The power of this song about domestic violence is incredible. No one could have sung that song the way Martina could. Having all Martina's hits on one CD is great. The better part of this disc however, are the four new songs. Just when I thought she couldn't get any better after the material on her "Emotion" CD...well...I admit that I was wrong. And I'm glad of that! Martina is one of those artists who tops herself every time. "When God Fearin' Women Get The Blues", the current single, is simply fun. It's got attitude and for anyone who says no one sings country music anymore...listen to that song! "Where Would You Be", I don't even know where to start...this song shows Martina's incredible vocal range. After you hear this song you'll know why many think Martina has the greatest voice on the planet. "Concrete Angel" is a song about child abuse. You won't be the same after you hear this song. You can't help but be affected by its message. This is because Martina sings with such emotion and you can feel that when she sings. "Blessed" is an uptempo number and makes you realized how lucky you are, even the small things matter ("I put my feet on the hard wood floor, I get to hear my children laughing down the hall through the bedroom door"). And I myself feel Blessed that there is a singer out there like Martina McBride who sings with such emotion and passion about real issues and things that matter, a woman who isn't afraid to speak up about social issues, a woman who cares about music. That is Martina McBride.