Ah, but what would a country record be without a little serious lament? "Ain't Gonna Take It" tells the story of a woman finally ready to make the break from a relationship that's run its course.
Following that are two Lori McKenna-penned tunes that prove to me that Hill may have found her songwriting soulmate (sorry Big & Rich...sorry Tim McGraw...it's the truth.) By the time you make it through McKenna's "Fireflies", you'll see what I'm talking about.
I have to admit that I didn't want to like this record. Hill's previous hits like "Breathe" were pretty but left me feeling empty. This is a kinda pathetic attitude coming from the guy who lost his last chunk of indie cred the day he bought his first Shania Twain CD. But hey, I fell for Twain's "Still The One". Similarly, Hill's "Wish For You" got me right where it counts. Sorry, but that trill in her voice just killed me.
Fireflies finished me off with the only tune dealing in Breathe-esque orchestration. "Paris" may not be a country ballad but it is as sincere as the Lori McKenna songs that put this record over the top.
On the drive back from Kentucky we amused ourselves by taking photos of various roadside oddities. The funny stripjoint sign outside of the truckstop. The sign for "Big Bone Lick State Park". I mean, we have odd stuff up here in New England but nothing to match that...or maybe we're just used to our own introverted weirdness. All I know is that that weekend turned out to be much more than I expected, very much like Fireflies
Article comments
1 - Mary K. Williams
Very good post Mark - I like how you ended it.
I have to swear off new CD's until I can get my *%^($ car CD player to work. I"m SO upset about that..anyway that's another story..
but this was nice, I do like Faith Hill, and that Shania girl is ok too. : )
2 - georgiaboy
For another take on Faith's (whom I can't stand) latest, including her Lori McKenna (whom I love) covers, go here:
http://www.hickorywind.org/000638.php
For ongoing commentary on Faith's "music," periodically check out Jack Spark's blog at
http://blogs.citypages.com/jsparks/
Here's a sample (warning: he, as I, think Faith's music is pretty bad):
"Right after Gretchen Wilson strutted out on stage with a dip in, proclaiming herself a Redneck Girl...Faith Hill is now at or near the top of the charts as...tah-dahhhhh...a Mississippi Girl! No more whispy goddess in designer dress moaning of love from the Eiffel Tower with her bald husband by her side. Dammit, she's DOWN HOME."
3 - Mark Saleski
good for you. still i don't see the point in ever 'reviewing' music that you KNOW you can't stand.
4 - georgiaboy
Robert Christgau only reviews stuff he likes? BTW, I'm not reveiwing anything, only trying to give someone who stumbles across your review another perspective -- sort of a public service.
For yet another take on Faith's latest (warning: bad review) go here:
http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=613
Here's an excerpt:
"Less an "album" than a goddamn dissertation on everything rotten at the core of mainstream country music, Faith Hill's Fireflies, rest assured, will rank as her sixth multi-platinum record and will likely sweep the country field at the Grammy awards come February. That it is so utterly without substance"it's some kind of engineering marvel that the CD itself doesn't have to be tethered to the ground"certainly won't deter NARAS, People, and Entertainment Weekly (who stand to profit whenever Hill's visage graces their covers), or Hill's legion of fans from shouting me down to the contrary, but Fireflies is flat-out terrible, the end-all be-all example of how the major labels on music row have diluted the soul out of an entire genre of vital popular music."
5 - Mark Saleski
christgau can do whatever he likes. my point is really that it's a complete waste of time to review, say, Mariah Carey...if i've always hated her.
that review snippet is typical of what i think of as a pointless reivew. they hated Hill and just sat around finding ways to slag both her and the country music industry (which i've pointed out before sure does deserve a pile 'o slagging).
6 - kristi
HI!!! Im getting married in a tropical place. I LOVE the Dress Faith Hill is wearing in her music video Mississippi Girl. Does anyone know the style/make/location I could get it from! It is my DREAM wedding dress...
Thank you,
kristi
7 - CjayB
I just think that someone told her that she was going to win, like an official or something. So when she heard a name other then her own it surprised her. No big deal, just a reaction to news exactly the opposite of what she was told.
The person who told her was misinformed.