Some Hearts (CD - 2005)

Carrie Underwood: Dann Huff (electric guitar); Mike Johnson (steel guitar); Julian Hallmark (violin); Daniel Smith (cello); Jimmie Lee Sloas (bass instrument); Chris McHugh, Matt Funes, Alyssa Park, Eric Darken, Hillary Lindsey, Joel Derouin, Adam Steffey, Lonnie Wilson, Matt Rollings, Paul Franklin, Sid Page, Suzie Katayama, Wes Hightower, Roberto Cani, Larry Corbett, Biff Watson, J.T. Corenflos, Steve Nathan, Jonathan Yudkin, Tom Bukovac, Jim VanCleve, Steve Richards , Perry Coleman, Michael Markman, Josephina Vergara, Michele Richards, Susan Chatman, Bryan Sutton, Morgane Hayes, Charles Judge, Mario Diaz de Leon, Endre Granat, Tereza Stanislav, Denyse Buffum, Andrew Duckles, Shanti Randall.

Personnel: Carrie Underwood (background vocals); Biff Watson, Bryan Sutton (acoustic guitar); Dan Huff, J.T. Corenflos, Tom Bukovac (electric guitar); Gary Morse, Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Jonathan Yudkin (dobro, banjo, mandolin, violin, fiddle, viola, cello, strings); Adam Steffey (mandolin); Matt Funes, Alyssa Park, Julian Hallmark, Joel Derouin, Sid Page, Roberto Cani, Michael Markman, Josephina Vergara, Michele Richards, Susan Chatman, Mario Diaz de Leon, Endre Granat, Tereza Stanislav, Denyse Buffum, Andrew Duckles, Shanti Randall (violin); Jim VanCleve (fiddle); Suzie Katayama, Larry Corbett, Steve Richards (cello); Matt Rollings (piano); Charles Judge (keyboards, programming); Steve Nathan (keyboards); Chris McHugh, Lonnie Wilson, Shannon Forrest (drums); Eric Darken (percussion); Hillary Lindsey, Lisa Cochran, Neil Thrasher, Wes Hightower, Perry Coleman, Morgane Hayes (background vocals).

Audio Mixers: Derek Bason; Justin Niebank; Serban Ghenea.

Recording information: Blackbird Studios, Nashville, TN; Capitol Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA; Electrokitty Recording, Seattle, WA; Sound Stage Studios, Nashville, TN; Starstruck, Nashville, TN; The Gentlemen's Club; The Plant Recording Studios, Sausalito, CA; The Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA; The Sound Kitchen, Nashville, TN; The Village, Los Angeles, CA.

Photographer: Andrew Southam.

Arranger: Harry "Slick" Sommerdahl.

Country purists may take offense at finding American Idol winner Carrie Underwood's debut album in the country section. An unabashedly manufactured commercial product, SOME HEARTS is the sound of mainstream country in the 2000s heavily steeped in glossy pop. There's nothing downhome or roots-conscious about Underwood's voice or looks: she's the pretty blonde next door with a fine singing voice, but the powers that be have made her a country artist, and that's what the public gets.

None of this is to say that SOME HEARTS is not a good pop album. The combination of Underwood's considerable gift and the slick, spot-on production of Dan Huff and Mark Bright makes for a fine package. Even on somewhat by-the-numbers tunes (like her smash hit "Inside Your Heaven"), Underwood sings with conviction, and she does well with both the ballads and the uptempo tracks. Idol viewers and fans of artists like Faith Hill and Shania Twain will want to check this out. minimize