by Adam (Toronto, Canada)
Terri Clark - Life Goes On
Original Release Date: November 1, 2005
Terri Clark returns with a new album LIFE GOES ON, after she released a 'Greatest Hits' last year. We had the pleasure of seeing her live this summer and Terri is quite the entertainer. She sang a lot of songs from this new cd. The first single is the emotional ballad "She Didn't Have Time", about a single mother and the struggles she faces.
She does some great uptempos like the title track, "Honky Tonk Song", "Damn Right", and others.
She also gets personal on tracks like "Travelin Soul" and "Slow News Day".
In the liner notes for the CD, she says that it's the album she came to Nashville to make. In concert she told us that it was a labor of love, and it took a few years to complete!
In the years of pop-country, Clark has managed to retain her country style where others have gone astray. "Life Goes On" is full of musical gems with a wide variety of ballads and up-tempo numbers, all of which Clark can showcase her vocals.
Instead, she has found her niche in songs like "Damn Right" and "Travelin Soul" where a true artist can shine. Clark has saved many ears from the drowning genre.
1. "Life Goes On" (6/10): the ROCKIN title track! A song about having a real life scenario of a 30-35 years old woman(?) You can even hear Terri to set some autobiographical elements in this song!
2. "Down Right" (5/10): it is the next single from "Life Goes On" about doing everything you can to keep a love memory and when it's just not working out... you eventually have to let go and move on.
3. "She Didn't Have Time" (7/10): this is the first hit off of this album (currently climbs the Top 40 on the charts) It's an uptempo song about how sometimes one woman just need a little time and space to clear her mind. But she didn't have the time to fall in love that night...
4. "Cowboy Days" (6/10): a fun upbeat "summer-type" song! With a determined spirit, Terri sings about a story about all the things she did in her cowboy days.
5. "Not Enough Tequila" (5/10): a powerful song about getting over a love memory in Mexico and probably finding a way to move on without him.
6. "Bigger Windows" (5/10): "and dreams have room to stretch their wings and fly, through bigger windows, blue skies." This song has fun lyrics with a beat that really sticks in your head!
7. "I Wish He'd Been Drinkin' Whiskey" (6/10): Coming to the realization that the only way the two people in the relationship can grow is to break up and grow separately. A beautiful ballad, Sara really shows the range of her voice on this song, and the lyrics are very moving
8. "Honky Tonk Song" (7/10): Yet another upbeat song with a positive message. A fun breakup song, has more of a country sound than the others on the album.
9. "Travelin' Soul" (8/10): A beautiful ballad, Terri really shows the range of her voice on this song, and the lyrics are very moving.
10. "Everybody's Gotta Go Sometime" (7/10): the realization that being single isn't necessarily a bad thing because it allows you to learn more about your own self and will also give you new opportunities you may have missed otherwise. A very touching story of a woman who is "crossing that line."
11. "Slow News Day" (8/10): is one of her rare topical numbers, gently admonishing our media-mad culture and urging people to look to their hearts rather than the headlines for what's best about humanity.
12. "Tear It All Down" (7/10): True Terri. The traditional country song that is just fun and makes you get up and dance! Kinda Reba McEntire style, very cool!
Terri Clark always sings with that feeling of country. We love her for that. Whenever we hear her voice it reminds us why we love country music. We guess for us the lyrics are more important than the music behind it. Terri is true to herself and her art. Her powerful coffee voice needs room to breathe and in this cd she is exploring new musical directions. What sets her apart from the rest of the crowded field of the Faith Hills and Le Ann Rimes is that she knows her strenghts - her sultry, twangy, good old fashioned country vocals. This may not translate into multi-platinum sales, but it's sure good enough to keep her fans happy.
Each album Clark has put out has held it's own place in country. She is not a popularized diva, with shallow lyrics and melodies. Maybe country can once again reclaim it's glory days with such good albums as "Life Goes On".
Rating: 7
Tracklisting:
1. Life Goes On
2. Damn Right
3. She Didn't Have Time
4. Cowboy Days
5. Not Enough Tequila
6. Bigger Windows
7. I Wish He'd Been Drinkin' Whiskey
8. Honky Tonk Song
9. Travelin' Soul
10. Everybody's Gotta Go Sometime
11. Slow News Day
12. Tear It All Down
