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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great album to close the old millennium, 20 Jul 2005
In the liner notes, Reba states that this was the first album on which she used three different producers. Reba points out they were all going through different emotions in their personal lives and this was reflected in the songs they wanted Reba to record, so let's see what differences there are. Note that this album has been released with slightly different track listings in different countries around the world and, to complicate things, has been re-issued in some of those to include Reba's Beatles cover (If I fell), a great original song (I'll be) and a bilingual duet (We're all alone - a cover of a Boz Scaggs song that Rita Coolidge had some success with). My original UK release does not include these songs (although I've got the Beatles cover and I'll be on a Reba compilation) but it does include an excellent song (I like it that way) produced by David Malloy, which is missing from most currently available editions of this album. The Australian version of this album contains If I fell, I'll be, We're all alone and I like it that way, so if you want all these songs, buy that version.Keith Stegall produced three of the songs here, all of them very sad. Back before the war (co-written by Keith) is about signing divorce papers while remembering how good things used to be. Equally sad is She wasn't good enough for him, which describes a woman who stayed faithful to a man long after he'd lost interest in her. The remaining song produced by Keith, I'm not your girl, finds Reba telling her man that she is finished with him. Based on these songs, it seems that Keith was having a bad time in his personal life back then. Tony Brown also produced three songs - Till I said it to you, Roses and Where you end and I begin. Roses is a sad song but the other two are very romantic. So it seems that Tony was happier in his personal life than Keith, but maybe not quite perfect. David Malloy produced the other songs including the good-time songs We're so good together and When you're not trying to, the latter being a ballad with a similar theme to the classic country song, When you say nothing at all. David's other two songs, What do you say and Nobody dies of a broken heart, give more pause for thought but it seems clear from his choice of songs that his personal life was as good as it could possibly be when this album was being recorded. So, as Reba says, this album is a real mix of moods although I don't necessarily think that this makes for a better album. In any case, the variety of moods within the lyrics is not reflected in the actual music, which is mellow apart from the opening track. Reba used to be a prolific recording artist - she has released something like thirty original albums, all of them brilliant including this one.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Quality time and again, 23 Nov 1999
By A Customer
I've been a Reba fan for 13 years now, not easy when you're in the UK and her stuff is as rare as hen's teeth. The last few years have been much better, and I've amassed a collection of 25 albums. So where does this new release fall? Well, it's no 'For My Broken Heart', but it's pretty good regardless. Reba has one of those expressive voices that would sound insightful and moving on a rendition of 'Old MacDonald Had A farm'. Thankfully the songs here are a little more mature than that. She's also (for better or worse - you decide) almost completely disregarded her country origins. Gone are the 'lordy lordy' declarations of 'I don't need nothin' you ain't got' (grammar? syntax?). In fact, but for the inclusion of Roses, old fashioned country at its steel-guitar drenched best, this could be a Celine Dion album, although without the excessive histrionics. The best tracks here are current single 'What Do You Say', which is so strong you can forgive its crocodile tears and mawkishly sentimental ending and the stunning 'I'm Not Your Girl'. Here Reba demonstrates the lesser-known skill of restraint. The lyrics are touching, the tune catchy and the delivery absolutely perfect. 'She wasn't Good Enough For Him' is a quintessential '90s Reba, and 'Nobody Dies From A Broken Heart' could be the sequel to 'Everything That You Want' from the Read My Mind album. On the downside, the title track can't seem to decide on a rhythm or a tune and so it throws itself all over the place and gets nowhere. Furthermore, some of the songs here seem to be reiterating sentiments we've heard before. But hey, with a voice like that, recordings of such consistent quality after 23 years in the business can only testify to Reba's supremacy in modern country music. My only real grumble is that she's branching out into other markets and keeps changing the track line-up, meaning I have to spend a fortune buying imports for the sake of single songs dotted here and there. So although we got this album 8 weeks ago in the UK, the US release contains another track, which I'm dying to hear. Oh well, maybe I'll just go listen to The Secret Of Giving instead...
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
UNBELIEVABLE, 11 Nov 2000
I can't believe how woderful this album is. It touches me so deeply. Reba's voice really draws out the emotions in the song. A good song is fine on its own but Reba just makes it extra special - she is magic!!
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