Martina McBride: Everlasting
Details
Genre: Country, Pop, SoulPros:
Duet with Gavin DeGraw, a few smart song choices and excellent performances show forth potentialCons:
Too tepid and safe for McBride; production lacks sparkCountry star goes the blue-eyed soul route on new covers disc
Country star goes the blue-eyed soul route on new covers disc
Country legend Martina McBride scratches a trip to Soulsville off her bucket list on her twelfth solo album, Everlasting. Produced by Don Was, the set finds her digging up classic soul and R&B gems with the hopes of giving it a safe MOR update. In the hands of McBride, she seems a bit too cautious, approaching the tunes like a fairy godmother in a Nashvillian Oz. Not entirely her fault, the Was (Not Was) founder isn’t exactly pushing for over-the-top innovation on a covers album. You really feel the tepidity immediately on the opener of “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man” as the Celine Dion of country settles for the comfort of adult contemporary rather than the aches and pains of Aretha blues. Thankfully she lands performances like “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” and comes into contact with the soulful crooning of Gavin DeGraw, who sounds like a mini-Otis with Mike Farris capabilities on “Bring It On Home to Me.” She also goes the scenic route by locating a few forsaken blues tunes such as the Etta James bluesy firecracker “In the Basement” and “My Babe,” a saucy rip-off of the gospel hymn “This Train.” But it’s a bit discouraging to hear familiar jukebox tunes trounced with average fanfare. “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” never soars beyond the Simply Red version nor does “Come See About Me” sound like it’s been baked in Studio A at Hitsville USA.
