Carrie Underwood is allowed to rock freely, in songs that have little pretension and that is why they work so well ★★★☆☆

The lovers of Carrie Underwood who after the wonderful song of life Jesus, Take the Wheel have always kept on sniffing around a bit, have not had an easy time. The country pop singer (and talent show winner American Idol in 2005) came after her debut Some Hearts sparingly with comparable good work, and in recent years has indulged in theme albums, with mainly Christmas and gospel songs.

Denim & Rhinestones is an album with which the singer wants to score some uncomplicated hits again and with which she can play the stadiums for a summer, especially in her home country. The production is rich and slick and refers to the beautiful country pop past of the nineties and even further back. In Velvet Heartbreak and Poor Everybody Else for example, Underwood may impart rock fray to her perfectly controlled voice, which always does so well because she never wants to convey false sentiment. Underwood rips thinly and cleanly next to the guitars, in infectious and freely rocking radio songs that have few pretensions and maybe that’s why they work so well.

The wait is also long now, but at the end of the record follows that glowing ballad with a tear on the cheek. In Garden the singer gives the agricultural sector a helping hand and the professional group can of course use this mental assistance, also in the Netherlands. Underwood evokes images of farmers in the fields and large tractors in the evening light, and comes with beautiful imagery. ‘What kind of garden would you grow? Would you plant patience? Would you keep kindness? Would there be peace, ripe on the vine?’ Do nothing more.