Two Black Cadillacs - Video Review

When people discuss music's highest-selling divas, Carrie Underwood is often left out of the conversation. And while she can't match the receipts of Adele and Taylor, the country queen's latest album has sold 1.3 million copies in the US - and she's only just released the third single. Blown Away has outsold recent efforts by Beyoncé, Rihanna and Kelly Clarkson. So isn't it about time you explored her mega-selling country-pop opus?

And to be honest, "Two Black Cadillacs" is the perfect starting point. The dark and gloomy murder-revenge anthem represents the next step in the evolution of Carrie Underwood. She's putting the girl-next-door shit aside - at least for now - to explore themes more at home on a Lana Del Rey record. I love how well country music lends itself to telling a story and the Americon Idol winner has an absolute doozy on her hands.

In a nutshell - a wife discovers her man is cheating and teams up with his hoe mistress to kill him. Given the song's already sinister subject matter, I thought Carrie might lighten things up with a camp video but she plunges head first into her new role as a femme fatale. The clip is eerily beautiful and I love the Stephen King-inspired twist at the end. This is the kind of thing you'd expect from Katy Perry or Lady Gaga. Which is why "Two Black Cadillacs" might find an even wider audience than usual.

Watch Carrie channel her inner murderess below:

8.5/10

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Raelynn Is The New Taylor Swift

Meet America's new sweetheart. 18-year-old Raelynn appeared on season 2 of The Voice and crushed hoes with her sexy southern twang until she was rudely kicked off after a couple of rounds due to an obvious voting malfunction. Anyway, you can't keep a good christian down. The wholesome beauty nabbed a record deal and already has a hit on her hands. "Boyfriend" (below) is a perky little country-pop tune about wanting to steal someone's man but refraining because you're not that bitch.

The flipside of Dolly Parton's "Jolene" - number 22 on iTunes and rising - is almost unbearably cute at times but the teenager's quirky voice keeps things interesting. I downloaded the ditty just to hear her pronounce Shania Twain on repeat! US Talent shows have a good track record of producing country stars and this Miranda Lambert-mentored diva has the sweet-as-apple pie persona that Americans love. So big things could be on the horizon. Think of Raelynn as Taylor Swift without the battered pussy.

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Taylor Swift Vs Carrie Underwood - Max Martin/Shellback Productions

Taylor Swift's new single was unveiled a couple of days ago and nearly melted the internet. "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" destroyed Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" digital sales record in a matter of hours and topped iTunes charts around the world. But is the song any good? There was a time when I would have trashed anything Tay Tay released but I was completely won over by the Speak Now era. The album is immaculate and her contribution to The Hunger Games soundtrack is just as impressive. Which makes her latest offering a bit of a letdown. It's a nice little break-up song but I'm disappointed that she returned to her trademark Disney princess lyrics - only this time set to synthesizers. You can thank legendary hitmakers Max Martin and Shellback for that. Taylor called on them for a more commercial sound and they certainly delivered. This is going to be an Adele-sized hit. More power to her. I just think it's a bit of a step backward after the brilliance of "Mean", "Ours" and "Safe & Sound".

"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" is also, dare I say it, inferior to Carrie Underwood's collaboration with Max Martin and Shellback. Yes, Taylor got the idea of fusing country music and Swedish pop from the American Idol winner. Queen Carrie worked with the super-producers on her 2009 album Play On and got a better song. "Quitter" is such a sublime country-pop anthem. I will never understand why the track wasn't released as a single. It stands out like a sore thumb on that album for all the right reasons. The catchy, uptempo love song has hit written all over it and would have helped Carrie crossover into the pop market. I'm sure that was the goal. It's a shame her label didn't have the courage to see the plan through. If they did, Taylor mightn't have the monopoly on country-pop like she does now. Anyway, listen to "Quitter" (below) and judge for yourself who snagged the better Max Martin/Shellback tune. Carrie gets my vote.

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Country Queen Lisa Gail Allred's Latest Shocker/Masterpiece

"You're the one who makes me melt from the love that I have felt" chirps genius wordsmith Lisa Gail Allred on her breathtaking new single. "Coffee Or Tea" is the follow-up to "3 Second Rule" (AKA 2012's ultimate guilty pleasure) and delivers pretty much everything we've come to expect from the genre-defying Texan songbird. There are corny lyrics, a chorus that gets lodged in your brain like an extremely painful tumour and the most arresting vocals to assault your eardrums since those unautotuned Britney demos leaked. Needless to say, it's a hot mess of biblical proportions but Lisa's music has an undeniable sweetness about it that helps you overlook the crazy. Particularly if you ignore the video (below), which finds our heroine wandering around what appears to be her retirement village looking unmedicated. Who am I kidding? The new and improved Faith Hill rocks my world. Madonna wishes she was this relevant! Download "Coffee Or Tea" from iTunes today to make an old woman happy.

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Carrie Underwood - Live At The Palais

My last update was a review of Lady Gaga's Born This Way Ball. It was a multi-million dollar stadium show with countless costume changes and over-the-top props like a giant talking head and fully functional Gothic castle. Less than a week later, I flew to Melbourne to catch Carrie Underwood at the Palais Theatre. She wore the same outfit the whole time, had no props - apart from a faulty smoke machine that almost choked the front row - and performed a setlist comprised of songs that have never graced a commercial radio station in Australia. Her show was infinitely better.

We all know Carrie has an amazing voice and she made it her mission to showcase her vocal prowess during the intimate concert. The opening number was a gorgeous rendition of her current country hit "Good Girl". Her band was tight and she looked beautiful but the empty stage was a bit jarring at first. She slipped straight into "Flat On The Floor" (the opening track from 2007's Carnival Ride) before dusting off "Wasted" - one of my favourite tracks from her mega-selling debut. By that stage I was expecting the 29-year-old to take a breather and speak to the audience but she plowed straight into the darkly majestic "Two Black Cadillacs". The twisted revenge fantasy has to be the next single from Blown Away. It shows the American Idol champ in a whole new light.

When Carrie finally spoke to the audience, it came as something of a shock to realise that she's actually quite awkward. She struggled gamely to make some banter but it seemed forced and I was grateful when she started belting out a bunch of early hits - mostly from her stunning sophomore set. The country queen tore up "So Small", gave me goosebumps with her pitch-perfect rendition of "Temporary Home", rocked out to "Last Name", melted hearts with "Just A Dream" and came out of her shell to introduce her cover of Randy Travis' "I Told You So". As the show wore on, her initial awkwardness became increasingly endearing and she had definitely loosened up by the time she returned to material from her new album. "Leave Love Alone" sounded meatier live and I was happy to hear another song from the incredibly underrated Play On when she burst into the unintentionally camp "Cowboy Casanova".

Next up was "Nobody Ever Told You", which is probably my least favourite song on Blown Away. It sounds like something from Taylor Swift's debut and is - as such - beneath her. Carrie made up for it by delivering a killer version of her Max Martin-penned country-pop anthem "Quitter". I can't believe the gem wasn't released as a single. America's sweetheart then took it down a notch with a stripped-back trio of songs beginning with "Do You Think About Me". This beautiful mid-tempo ballad is another hit-in-waiting from Blown Away. I'm not sure the same can be said about the lyrically-challenged, reggae-tinged "One Way Ticket". I love it - but for all the wrong reasons! A perky rendition of "Undo It" ended the lo-fi interlude on a high note.

Carrie won a lot of new fans by covering the INXS classic "Never Tear Us Apart". She said she wanted to perform a song by an Australian artist but I was betting on a Keith Urban cover. Her version of the '80s rock-ballad was beautiful. I hope she includes it on a future album. The next two songs were the dual highlights of the show for me. "Jesus Take The Wheel" has never sounded better - the country diva got a well-deserved standing ovation - and "Before He Cheats" still packs a killer punch. I would have happily paid my money just to hear those two songs! After those classics, "Cupid's Got A Shotgun" (one of the less appealing songs from Blown Away) was a bit of a letdown but "I Know You Won't" was a perfect way to end the show. Oklahoma's best export returned shortly afterwards to belt out the new album's title track and really blew me away with her flawless vocal display. Carrie is an absolute superstar. I'm glad Australia is finally waking up to her amazing talent and brilliant music.

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Madonna's Best Single & Video In Ages

At first glance you could be mistaken for thinking Lisa Gail Allred is Madonna's vastly younger sister. But the menopausal beauties share more than strikingly good looks. They also boast a similar vocal range and talent quota. Just check out the country queen's viral smash "3 Second Rule" (above). I haven't heard notes like this since... actually, I've never heard anything like this before. Lisa is a truly unique talent and isn't constrained by boring conventions like singing in key. She's above that. Then there's the epic video, which puts her doppelganger's recent effort to shame. "Girl Gone Wild" had gay men dancing in heels. Who gives a fuck? "3 Second Rule" stars the most alluring woman in music and a bunch of uncoordinated boot-scootin' cowboys. The new Shania Twain wins! Shockingly, the future smash isn't available on iTunes yet. I think it's clear who's responsible. Why won't Madonna let Lisa be great?

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Carrie Underwood Goes Pop

I stan hard for Carrie Underwood. She's one of my favourite country diva - along with Dolly and Shania - and I've been gagging for new material from her. So I was more than a little excited when "Good Girl" dropped a couple of weeks ago. At first I was startled by her shift in direction. It's not like the former American Idol was ever a traditional blue-grass singer strumming a banjo but this is a definite move towards a more radio-friendly pop sound. And I say fair play. Taylor Swift is riding the country-pop gravy train all the way to the bank and Carrie wants a slice of the pie. I just didn't expect her to snatch Tay Tay's wig this easily. "Good Girl" is a high-camp country-tinged rock/pop anthem of the highest calibre. This is what I imagine Kelly Clarkson would sound like if she recorded an album in Nashville. It's big and bold with the kind of gutsy chorus Kelegend would kill for. The video finally dropped yesterday and it's sufficient. Carrie basically looks really pretty and wears lots of different outfits. Not exactly "Run The World (Girls)" but it will do. Check it out below and download the track from iTunes now.

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Taylor Swift > Bon Iver

It's time for Justin Vernon to go back to where he came from. Taylor Swift has unexpectedly stolen his eerie folk-pop crown on "Safe & Sound" and let's face it, that comb-over is a crime against all that is good and holy. Bye! I'm so impressed with Tay Tay's latest opus. She's finally left the Disney princess lyrics behind and explores considerably darker territory on the first single from The Hunger Games soundtrack.

Perhaps it's the influence of alt-folk duo The Civil War or the film's post-apocalyptic subject matter that has prompted Taylor to leave her comfort zone and embrace her inner-depressed diva. Who knows? Whatever the reason for the change, she pulls it off brilliantly. Her moody lyrics and fragile voice hover above the sparse smattering of guitars and ominous drums like a tired hummingbird. I love the haunting chorus and beautiful harmonies. This really is a huge step forward. Make sure you also check out the gorgeous video, which finds Tay walking around a desolate winter landscape looking tired and cold. It's a lot better than it sounds!

"Safe & Sound" is available to download from iTunes now.

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Sorry For Being Mean, Taylor

Earlier this week the bonus disc of Taylor Swift's "Speak Now" was released on US iTunes. Considering the album has already sold almost 4 million copies in that country (more that Rihanna's "Loud" and Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" put together), it should have been a minor footnote on another impressive year for the country diva. Instead, three tracks rocketed into the top 10 - with the rather lovely "If This Was A Movie" knocking Ri-cycle's "We Found Love" from the top spot. The achievement inspired me to revisit "Speak Now" after initially dismissing it as "a breathtakingly self-indulgent, monotonous vanity project plagued by trite Hallmark card lyrics". It even made my worst albums of 2010 list, which in retrospect was probably fuelled by a series of uninspiring award show performances that left me seriously questioning the 21-year-old's vocal ability.

Well, I take it back. While I standby some of my comments - her woe-is-me attitude grates and the Disney princess lyrics wear thin in places - "Speak Now" is not a terrible album. In fact, I rather like it. "Mine" still shines, "The Story Of Us" is the closest Taylor has come to Ashlee Simpson-esque pop/rock and I flat out love "Superman". However, the highlight is definitely "Mean". Released as a single way back in March, this quirky little gem has finally clicked with me. I'm not sure if it's the relatable theme, beautifully simple production or deceptively catchy chorus but I can't get enough. Tay has an undeniable ability to tap into emotions. I just wish she would expand her lyrical horizons. Maybe that will come with age. In the meantime, I'm playing this on repeat. Check out the cute video below if you missed it the first time around. All of sudden, I can't wait for Ms Swift's Australian tour!

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