Carrie Underwood’s “Carnival Ride” Debuts at #1

I remember watching S4 and hearing Simon tell Carrie she would sell more than all other Idol winners. I thought this is one time he’s way off and I’m going to remember this “crazy” prediction. It’s scary how right he was.

Yeah, I remember that too. And I thought there was no was she was going to outsell Kelly or Clay, but apparently Simon was right..again!

Yeah Carrie! That’s my girl, what an awesome debut.

According to Ken, not only did Carrie have the number 1 album, but she sold nearly 5 times as many albums as the number 2 album and nearly outsold the combined sales of the rest of the top 10 albums.

Pretty impressive numbers in a sluggish market.

I really do not get it.

Congrats to Carrie. Some Hearts was huge, but Carnival Ride I think will be even bigger. Every song is a country smash waiting to happen, and quite a few songs have Before He Cheats crossover potential. 2 years down the line, I won’t be surprised if this album’s sales are around 8 million, maybe even higher.

I really do not get it.

Me either… zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I don’t get it either. While I do admire Carrie, to me she is boring.

I love Carrie, not only because the girl can sing, but because she’s a small town Okie girl like me. I don’t consider Carrie boring even though I’m not a country music fan. However, my daughter ADORES Carrie so we’ve listened to Carnival Ride non-stop since I purchased the CD on 10/23. Carrie’s “Read Y’all” posters are prominently displayed on the walls outside of the library at my daughter’s school and it seems she really is everywhere here in Oklahoma. I suppose Carrie is boring compared to most of today’s top artists, but that’s fine with me. Most people consider me to be boring but that hasn’t stopped me from being very successful in my career! LOL

I wasn’t a Carrie fan at all when she was on AI. I did think she was boring at one time. She still isn’t a very dynamic performer (although she’s improved heaps since her AI days) but she finally won me over with Some Hearts and I like Carnival Ride even better. I don’t think it’s boring to listen to. I love 12 out of 13 songs (“So Small” is the one I don’t like, heh)…the material is good and Carrie sings the daylights out of it – not just technically but I feel the emotional connection to the songs too.

Maybe it’s just cause I can’t do country… unless it’s Josh Turner…. or maybe Bucky

I knew the first time I heard Carrie sing on American Idol that she would be one of the show’s biggest stars. She has that special “it” factor, the amazing voice, the likeability, and the right look. Throw that formula into a genre that was just itching for a new female superstar and you have success.

While Carrie may not be the most exciting performer it is not necessary to sell well in country music. Country music is about the story the song tells and letting your voice show the emotion of the song. Carrie has really improved on this in her second CD.

I think this album will go at least 4 times platinum- it has several really good potential hits on it.

I might be wrong but I have a feeling that if Carrie wasn’t drop dead gorgeous she would have had no where near the success she’s had…jmo.

Country music is about the story the song tells and letting your voice show the emotion of the song. Carrie has really improved on this in her second CD.

And for the most part, I find those stories cliched and hackneyed. It’s one of the reasons I can’t listen to mainstream country music.

Yeah, it’s about storytelling. That’s why I prefer the Pickles to Carrie, even though Carrie has the superior voice. I did like Before He Cheats, though. I haven’t listened to the new album yet.

Fembot or not, she’s getting it done! So mucho congrats. And note to Kelly Clarkson: don’t bite the hand that fed you. Look what happens if you don’t rock the boat….

I thought about this some more last night and I also think that Carrie’s career has been managed very well. Her first single was released ahead of the album and it was one of the songs that people could relate to- it wasn’t the best song off the album but it touched people’s hearts.

The success of that single and the crossover into other formats set her up perfectly for her smash hit Before He Cheats which is still sitting on the hot 100 60 some weeks later.

I do agree that her success is not just about her looks- there are plenty of stunningly beautiful women in all music formats that have not sold 6 million albums, won grammies, won tons of other awards, and had 4 #1 songs. I also don’t think her success is just about AI anymore either- while she certainly still has a massive AI fanbase she obviously has picked up new fans through her music.

I still think she is on track to be the biggest star from AI.

Personal comments directed at your fellow posters WILL BE DELETED. Don’t PRESUME to know what your fellow posters are thinking–or put words in their mouths.

I don’t like country music at all so I could care less if she sells a billion copies.

I wanted Bo to win.

I do agree that her success is not just about her looks- there are plenty of stunningly beautiful women in all music formats that have not sold 6 million albums, won grammies, won tons of other awards, and had 4 #1 songs.

True. I guess I didn’t make my point very well. I didn’t mean her success was just about her looks. She’s a great singer. There are also plenty of singers that don’t have the looks that are just as good – maybe better. My point was just that, imo, she’s a good singer who happens to be beautiful. She’s a nice, neat package and that sells.

I like Carrie – not as much as Bo – but I think she has a fantastic voice, has the right look, and seems to be smart and make good choices to appeal to the masses. So I don’t mean to take anything away from her but…. it sure doesn’t hurt that there was MEGA promotion for this second CD. TV commercials the very first day the CD was released etc etc. And when I went to the SYTYCD tour last Saturday they played her videos almost nonstop before the show and at intermission. They did throw in a Daughtry, a Kellie Pickler, and a Fantasia video – but I think just one of each. She has the talent but they are also making sure her product is not missed by any age groups.

I wish her continued success but won’t be buying the CD myself.

I do think there are other artists out there who would be super successful with the amount of promotion that she gets.

That mainstream appeal – you know, some main is allright but not this stuff. Yuk!

That said, Carrie deserves kudos for maintaining and growing a post AI fanbase. I wonder if she’ll ever be inducted in to the Grand Ole Opry? Based on her comments in the Reality TV World article, it seems like she has no shortage of enemies in the industry given the way she rose to fame.