Carrie Underwood – Denim & Rhinestones (Deluxe Edition)

UMG Recordings / Capitol Records Nashvile

Release Date: September 22nd 2023

Reviewed by: Joshua Andre

Carrie Underwood– Denim & Rhinestones (Deluxe Edition) (Amazon mp3/iTunes)

Track Listing:

Denim & Rhinestones
Velvet Heartbreak
Ghost Story
Hate My Heart
Burn
Crazy Angels
Faster
Pink Champagne
Wanted Woman
Poor Everybody Else
She Don’t Know
Garden
Out Of That Truck
Give Her That
Drunk And Hungover
Damage
Take Me Out
She Don’t Know (Live from the Denim & Rhinestones Tour)

Country superstar Carrie Underwood, winner of season 4 of American Idol way back in 2004, has wowed us time and time again with her smash hit singles “Jesus Take The Wheel”, “Before He Cheats”, “Just A Dream”, “So Small”, “Temporary Home”, “Undo It”, “Good Girl”, “Blown Away”, “See You Again”, “Something In The Water”, “Little Toy Guns”, “Heartbeat” and “Church Bells” to name a few. A country artist through and through, and also having a strong Christian faith; Carrie has won countless Grammy Awards, Billboard Music Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards, American Music Awards, Country Music Association Awards, and Teen Choice Awards- and she was also inducted into the Grand El Opry in 2008 and the Oklahoma Music Hall Of Fame in 2009, for her achievements and accomplishments in country music.

Now we all know about Carrie, who she is and what she’s all about. If you don’t know on the off chance, you can read my brother’s blog about her, or read my review of Cry Pretty from a few years ago or Jon’s review of her hymns album from 2021, or even Jon’s review of Carrie’s latest project Denim And Rhinestones from last year…but seriously, who doesn’t know the ‘Queen of modern country’? After already releasing many albums and a slew of radio country hits (if you want more information and stats, check out Wikipedia or Jon’s blog!), the holiday-themed project My Gift was unveiled to the world in 2020. I reviewed the album in 2020, and at the time, it was unashamedly and unapologetically optimistic and positive in the face of despair and adversity. As Carrie delivered 11 soul-stirring and out-of-this-world vocal powerhouse moments that transcend human comprehension; and as she powerfully and poignantly sung out Jesus’ praises and celebrated His birth, we were treated to one of the most thought-provoking, explosive, and heartfelt Christmas albums of the past few years. Even now, I can still confidently say that from many, many listens, My Gift stands tall amongst other holiday albums, and is a great album period to inspire and motivate you to keep going and keep pressing on in life.

But since I’ve already reviewed this album, you can read about it here. It’s 2023 now, and Carrie has released something new. The deluxe edition of Denim & Rhinestones just released, and while you can read about the 12 standard edition tracks on Jon’s review; I’ll be speaking in depth about the 6 new songs. “Out Of That Truck”, which released in March this year, was quite unexpected. I didn’t expect a new track from Carrie that soon. However, I’m not complaining because this song is incredibly catchy. “Out Of That Truck” isn’t as country as Dolly Parton or Reba McEntire. But Carrie’s bubbly personality and infectious joy all throughout the song here is on display, and why wouldn’t you want to move along to the song? Lyrically, the melody speaks about a person declaring that their ex won’t be able to get them off their mind and out of their truck, that ‘…when you’re runnin’ around in that stick shift Chevy, I bet it drives you crazy, thinking about us on every other back road, baby, you got someone new on your bench seat, trying to forget me lately, but my memory’s stuck, so good luck trying to get me out of that truck…’, and reminds us all that sometimes it’s tough for even the best of us to ‘get over’ someone who we’ve broken up with. “Out Of That Truck” encourages us to not let the small moments in life pass us by- because if we do, we’ll be living with regrets for the rest of our lives like the persona in the song still not over his ex. And as we listen to this song, let us remember to not coast through life and to say whatever is on our mind in the moment when we think it’s best to say them- we need to cherish our loved ones and our partners because they may be gone at a moment’s notice.

The rest of the deluxe edition tracks are just as powerful, poignant, and inspiring as even the rest of the 12 standard edition tracks- with some melodies even rivalling hits and personal highlights like “Crazy Angels”, “Ghost Story”, “Garden”, “Hate My Heart” and “Velvet Heartbreak”. “Give Her That” is a reflective and melancholy story-song track about the persona lamenting about her ex, and about she believes that her ex can’t give his new partner all of the memories that she and him had when they were together; while “Drunk And Hungover” is a ballad that details all of the tension one feels when in a new relationship while still not over your ex, and about how such a relationship is doomed to fail anyway. “Damage” is a semi-rock ballad that is directed to someone who broke the persona’s heart, with the declaration being that the relationship is irreparable and that the damage is done; while “Take Me Out” is a beautifully sung guitar and piano led ballad where Carrie praises her husband and yearns to recapture the spark and the magic again of their first few years together. Denim & Rhinestones (Deluxe Edition) then ends with a live version, albeit a tad unnecessary, of “She Don’t Know”.

Releasing deluxe editions or special edition albums of highly rated and well-received albums… well, doing that right is a feat in and of itself. I’m of the firm belief that if you’re an artist, you either unveil a deluxe edition album the same day as the standard edition, with 3-4 new tracks; or if you release a deluxe edition 1-2 years later, then you have around 8-9 or 10 extra tracks tops. If you’re Taylor Swift, then I guess re-releasing albums as ‘deluxe editions’ means re-recording tracks to own your masters and including ‘from the vault’ tracks. But Ed Sheeran and Little Mix have done deluxe edition albums/greatest hit projects right, the same with Switchfoot! With Carrie Underwood enhancing her album Denim & Rhinestones with these pulsating and incredibly recorded 6 melodies, this new-ish release shows Carrie at the top of her game, as she emphatically delivers one of the year’s best vocal moments thus far. With this deluxe edition album firmly asserting her stance that she isn’t done yet and has so much more to say in her music, we are challenged and inspired to make a positive change in our life, and be thankful for everything that has happened, as we look to the future in anticipation for whatever is next- while never coasting on our laurels, and instead being active in pursuing of what we want in life. And in light of that I reckon whatever comes next for Carrie will be awesome (maybe a live CD/DVD or an acoustic album or a worship album next year or the year after- I’m just spitballing here!), but until such a time; why don’t we listen to these compelling new songs (and the other equally impressive albums in Carrie’s discography!), multiple times? I guarantee it, Carrie’s songs will change your outlook on a few hard-hitting issues in life- so what are you waiting for? Carrie’s voice is sublime and flawless, check it out! You won’t be disappointed.