Carrie Underwood’s New Single, Cowboy Casanova, First Listen!

I just heard this song a little while ago and I LOVE it!! I much prefer country rock to straight up country so this song is perfect. I would love to see Carrie rock out a little more with this album because for me at least, I got bored with Carnival Ride really fast.

MJ – the label confirmed this is the WRONG version of the song. The real version is up on Carrie’s official Youtube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/carrieunderwood

And I love it.

That’s like pop meets country meets rock…
I don’t listen to country, but this one I like, it’s not that countrish. Really catchy.
A song by Carry, it’s going to be a hit, now I just wonder if they’re try top 40.

Sounded great! Definitely more country than some of her songs and less screaming and high notes – which is good. Is this the first single?

There are two versions, one is more pop the other country

This song is reminding me of another song which I can’t identify and it’s driving me crazy. I was thinking maybe Shania Twain, “Man, I feel Like a Woman” but I don’t think that’s it. Help me out guys. What song does this remind you of?

Heard the rockier version, and it’s good. It’s a hit in the making.

IMO this will be her biggest hit to date. Love it so much! Definitely her strongest lead single.

I like this (you tube channel version) a lot. i think this album will be better than Carnival Ride. I am not really a country music fan but I have liked a lot of stuff by Carrie.

Just okay for me, I don’t think it will grow on me.

It’s an awesome song, I prefer the rockier version, I mean the not official one, the official is a little more country/pop, but finally Carrie’s genere is country, but still a great great single, it has HIT written all over it.

Congrats Carrie!!!!

This will be a number 1 for Carrie for sure. (Country)

Beesims:
I, too, was thinking of something by Shania, but could not come up with “Man, I Feel Like a Woman!”
So you are definitely not alone in thinking that! :-D

I was also thinking of Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel.”

In addtition, it sort of reminds me of Carrie’s own “Before He Cheats”.
Am I wrong in thinking that?

It surely reminds me of Man I Feel Like a Woman but I really don’t care. Love Carrie, LOVE this single, CAN’T WAIT for the album. HIT HIT HIT written all over the place.

This probably will be her 11th consecutive #1. Pretty impressive for a female country artist

i’m with terps. i smell a huge hit. and what’s even more fun i can’t wait for it to show up on karaoke lists!

Totally crossover, got a hook. I can see this being big. Formulaic of course, but hey, that’s pop!

Good job commerically.

Oh, and I mean that for the pop version. Not fond of the more country version, but than I loathe country.

Ugh. This girl actually has a good voice, you can only hear the barest sliver of that on this song. Too slick, it sounds like some soulless record producer’s idea of what a pop singer is supposed to sound like. I’d like to actually hear what Carrie sounds like singing this song, it might be good.

From all the responses you read on this website as well as others’, Cowboy Cassonove might be a bigger hit then Before he Cheats was. Show Swift how it’s done Carrie!!

I’m not sure which single released today uses more Auto-tune, Carrie’s song or this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDOYN-6gdRE

ew gross. I think it’s terrible. Asked roomie, who likes country, and she agrees with me. I’m with rev who said they can’t see it growing on me. And I’m okay with some pretty terrible music. I’ve been listening to Miley’s “Party in the U.S.A” from the today show on repeat for the last few days, sooo yeah.

Great song! Good job Carrie! This has smash written all over it.

hwc, I don’t know which is more auto-tuned (I think it’s a draw), but A-TtN is brilliant.

hwc, do you even know what auto-tune is? Carrie is rarely off pitch.

hwc, do you even know what auto-tune is?

Yes, I do know what Auto-Tune is.

Carrie’s new single is dripping in so much Auto-tune that it’s leaving puddles on the floor.

Love Carrie. Don’t like the song.

Huh? Which part is auto-tuned? Not even a note

It’s overproduced. But I like the song.

Does anyone know why they made two versions? To crossover into pop radio more?

Huh? Which part is auto-tuned? Not even a note

The whole thing. It’s what makes her voice sound like R2D2. The phased-vocoder technology in the Auto-tune plug in can be used for more than pitch correction. Many singers who sing perfectly on pitch, like Barbie Idol, use Auto-tune to get the synthesized “pop” vocal sound that is, unfortunately, the rage these days. Human voices don’t sound like that (thank god).

One of the reasons Auto-tune sounds so processed on a good singer is that it attempts to wipe out the natural vibrato that gives the singer his or her tone. So, listening live, you would have the gorgeous subtle wavering of a good vibrato. Add the Auto-tune and you get this artificial pumping as it tries to smooth out the vibrato of any held note.

hwc, do you even know what auto-tune is? Carrie is rarely off pitch.

She is very good live. She has a nice, distinctive voice. The auto-tune in this song is not being used to distort the sound of the human voice (ostensibly, though in effect that is what it does), it is being used to correct minor inaccuracies and mistakes. Stuff that the vast majority of listeners would barely even notice and would not affect the enjoyment of the song. So they are getting very little return for something that pervades the song, making it sound unnatural and glossy. This is not an issue of over-dubbing or double-tracking (which I regard as less invasive and which is akin to the guide track used in many live performances), but of pitch-correction technology.

Auto-tune is used in almost all current major label pop recordings. The reason for that is these label’s insistence on a “perfect” recording. Unfortunately, when most singers are auto-tuned they lose the personality in their voice, making for a more generic product.

For anyone who might have forgotten, here’s what a world-class female country-rock singer sounds like without Auto-tune:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5KRVtjgMkM

For anyone who might have forgotten, here’s what a world-class female country-rock singer sounds like without Auto-tune:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5KRVtjgMkM

Ah yes, KD Lang. She is LOVE!

Well, I have to admit I don’t really like either one of them although I think Carrie has a fantastic voice and the best eyebrows ever. (She really is a pretty girl).

I am on tentative territory with the modern country music thing. I LOVE the country music that my parents played when I grew up, and yes I know some of it is nostalgia. I like Emmylou Harris and Randy Travis and Alan Jackson and have absolute zero interest in Garth Brooks, Shania Twain, Taylor Swift or Kellie Pickler. I’m about to get dragged in to it though with Danny, so I might as well get used to it.

Okay, I’ll listen to Carrie again. ;)

I’d say this is a hit but what’s up with the autotune? I get so uninterested when they add that feature to produced songs. I like to hear the human voice as it is.

ADAM ! I’m looking at you, do not Autotune! Carrie doesn’t need Autotune and neither do you.

I’m frankly sick of hearing robots on the radio. Ugh…

hwc, thanks for the KD Lang. I miss the days when you would hear the first sung note of a song and instantly recognize the artist.

As for Carrie’s song, I miss real country music.

Think I’ll play some vinyl on the phonograph today. Maybe some Emmylou.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEvZF2-d0w0

Yeah, if you want to find a true courageous rebel in this day and age on radio, look to find those singers who refuse to be autotuned – no matter what. They might not have the biggest hits or they might have to have huge battles with their labels and producers, but music will be served.

Of course, it looks like people are getting desensitized to autotune, aren’t noticing when its being used and are expecting voices to sound like that. Yeeccchhh. Human voices in all their complexity FTW!!!!

I have to say “Meh”. I’m not usually a big fan, but I liked “before he cheats”, it was cool. This one sounds like whole lotta other songs, and the name “Cowboy Casanova” is sooooo lame. Having said that, I’m sure that nothing stands on the way of it to become another smashing hit to take Carrie to Intergalactic Hall of Fame or something… I think all the other forums already honored her…

I think it’s awesome, and sure to be a hit. I’ve always been a fan of Carrie’s, but I didn’t really care for Carnival Ride too much. This is catchier than anything from CR.

I’m going to be buying so many albums in November.

She looks pretty as always.

For anyone who might have forgotten, here’s what a world-class female country-rock singer sounds like without Auto-tune:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5KRVtjgMkM

I love k.d. lang myself (although I never could get into her last album), but Carrie is a great live singer too. The difference, as I see it, is really the type of music and the way it’s produced. This new song of Carrie’s is crafted to be a huge pop/pop-country hit, and I have no doubt it will be. Personally, I prefer bluegrass Dolly Parton, Neko Case, Alison Krauss, and Brandi Carlile to this fluffy pink stuff Carrie does (even when she’s bashing a guy, she’s so darn ladylike), but clearly my tastes rarely gravitate to the hugely popular, Top-40 stuff. Someday, I’d love to see Carrie do an acoustic EP and just sing some good classic music, country or otherwise. The girl has amazing pipes, but most of the material she sings is completely forgettable.

I like the melody and the beat but hate the lyrics and the song title. The lyrics are kind of embarrassing. “He looks like a cool drink of water but he’s candy coated misery” Really?? But it’s a fun song to listen to if you ignore the inane lyrics.

As for Carrie’s song, I miss real country music.

Think I’ll play some vinyl on the phonograph today. Maybe some Emmylou.

Funny you should mention Emmylou. I’ve spent the last few days listening to her 1978 album Luxury Liner, the follow up Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town, and her two disc Anthology. Incredible.

Of course, nothing will ever top the duets she recorded with Gram Parsons on his two early 70s solo albums, including the classic Love Hurts.

She wrote Boulder to Birmingham on the plane from California to her parents home in DC after learning of Parsons’ death. It is a song of pure anguish. The verse about the fire in the canyon is presumably about watching Parsons’s LA canyon home burn to the ground not long before his death.

Country music is pretty much the same wasteland as pop music these days. The great music never stopped being recorded, it just moved outside the confines of the “music industry”.

I wonder if the record companies will figure out that they have killed their business themselves by selling nothing but velvetta on white bread sandwiches?

BTW, I thought Carrie’s new single is pretty good for what it is. It’s not something I would ever buy or listen to, but I’m sure it will be a big hit. Just for kicks, I compared to to the gold standard of arena-rock hook/pop/country, Shania Twain’s Come on Over. It’s pretty much a dead copy of Rock This Country, but not even in the same league, production wise.

ADAM ! I’m looking at you, do not Autotune! Carrie doesn’t need Autotune and neither do you. I’m frankly sick of hearing robots on the radio. Ugh

‘ ¦

I think you are setting yourself up a for big disappointment on that one.

autotune or not, that’s a HIT!

looks like more awards for Carrie in the near fututre.

Wow.

Carrie is going to have another hit — and this one feels like a monster. Great song. She sounds fabulous. She looks gorgeous. She is the best brand ambassador for the American Idol Franchise — look at how far she’s come. And she’s actually had time to work on this album so I’m sure it’ll be good.

I actually feel sorry for the Idols with albums coming out this fall. Carrie Underwood will be on every TV show and program. Non stop, Carrie. Wonder how many times they will bring her on Idol next year. Heh.

Carrie blogged to confirm that the first version of the song that leaked was NOT a final version or alternate version. She’s very adamant that she doesn’t do alternate mixes of her songs for different formats. Good for her for sticking to her guns.

A press release also confirms that the leak forced the early release of the real version of the song. It was originally scheduled to hit radio on September 8th.

http://www.carrieunderwood.fm/story/news/cowboy_casanova_is_the_first_single_from_carrie_underwoods___november_3_album_release_iplay_oni

Rush Release to Radio Follows Leak of Unfinished Version of the Song

Nashville, TN ‘“ Superstar Carrie Underwood cuts loose with playful energy as she offers a cautionary word about a ‘Cowboy Casanova,’  the title character to the first single from Carrie’s upcoming third album, Play On.

Underwood wrote the track with Mike Elizondo and Brett James, one of the writers behind Carrie’s GRAMMY-winning ‘Jesus, Take the Wheel.’ 

Originally slated to arrive at country radio on September 8, the leak of a rough, unfinished version of ‘Cowboy Casanova’  prompted a rushed-to-radio delivery of the real single late Wednesday evening. Fans can hear the genuine single of ‘Cowboy Casanova’  online now at both carrieunderwoodofficial.com, as well as youtube.com/carrieunderwood.

Thanks for the story of Boulder to Birmingham hwc. Another favorite is the haunting Wayfaring Stranger. I’ve been listening to her today too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3rocaCwt08

and then there’s Dwight Yoakim and some more real music. Sorry for the hijack folks – back to Carrie and Velveeta.

Reminds me of this one by Gwen Stefani and Akon:

Doesn’t really seem like Carrie’s style to me or like something that would fly on country radio, but what do I know? Next to nothing!

Thanks for the story of Boulder to Birmingham hwc. Another favorite is the haunting Wayfaring Stranger.

The story behind Boulder to Birmingham makes it very difficult for me to listen to the song. Emmylou was totally absorbed by the partnership with Gram Parsons, the chemistry was obvious from their duet and he had introduced her to country music — she had initially tried to make it in the mid 60s New York folk scene.

Here two albums with Gram Parsons are so incredible. They used Elivis’ touring band (with James Burton on guitar) for the studio sessions. Emmylou ended up with most of that band as the first version of her “hot band”, later working in youngsters like Jerry Douglas and Rickey Skaggs.

Neko Case has a terrific version of Wayfaring Stranger, too. And, then there is Jack White’s hardcore old-timey bluegrass version in the movie Cold Mountain. If Emmylou Harris, Neko Case, and Jack White can study the cannon of old-timey country music as they have, somebody like Donny Gokey better get started on his homework. You either grow up listening to that stuff or you do some serious studying.

Don’t get me started on Dwight. I saw him twice with his Pete Anderson band (and once with his later band). The Dwight/Pete Anderson shows were two of the best concerts I’ve ever seen. What a band, wow. Man, those guys could rock.

I believe that Before He Cheats is the superior song. Cowboy Casanova will crossover but i don’t think it will be as successful as BHC.

In My Hour of Darkness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2LtJ7AKUrc

A Song For You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG7CQ0YugFc

Love Hurts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3ATrQNFGfI

I don’t think Carrie cares at all if it crosses over since she’s very adamant in not letting her label do pop remixes of her songs like taylor swift does. She always says Before he Cheats was just an accident that happened to cross over. Since she was very clear in her blog that the first leaked “pop” version was not the final version I think it’s clear she doesn’t care. If it happens to cross over like BHC then great if not o well

Probably more likely that she wants to be “very clear” to not alienate her country fans, who tend t get a little testy with “uppity” artists who seek pop success by stripping away the “country”.

She’s being a little disingenuous, because obviously the pop mix existed.

Okay, where can I listen to the more pop version now that the county version is embedded?

“Probably more likely that she wants to be ‘very clear’  to not alienate her country fans, who tend t get a little testy with ‘uppity’  artists who seek pop success by stripping away the ‘country’ .”

Country radio has had zero problem with Taylor Swift’s remixes so that doesn’t hold water.

I’m sure the producer tried out multiple mixes and either this was one of them or this is a radio station’s own mix. Carrie obviously chose a countrier mix and she’s made clear many times she is about sticking to one mix and not sending out alternate versions for different formats.

“Okay, where can I listen to the more pop version now that the county version is embedded?”

Apparently the label’s legal people have been working overtime to get it off the internet. It was a very LQ version anyway and there’s talk that the radio station that played it actually tweaked it further, messing with Carrie’s voice. There’s a history with this particular radio station making its own mixes. They made a version of JTTW that had the lyric “she was so damn scared” that Carrie never sang.

Country radio has had zero problem with Taylor Swift’s remixes so that doesn’t hold water.

I don’t care about “country” radio. The play what they get paid to play. They’d play Black Sabbath if there were enough payola in it.

When she decided to sang about the baby jesus, Barbie Idol staked out a particular audience. That audience is not going to be happy if she de-countrifies songs for top 40 radio.

To be honest, I couldn’t hear any difference between the two. There’s nothing country about the “country” mix. The vocals are horribly oversung, like a top 40 track. It’s a shame because she’s a good singer and the over-the-top vocal here kind of ruins what was a pretty good commercial rock groove.

I don’t care about ‘country’  radio. The play what they get paid to play. They’d play Black Sabbath if there were enough payola in it.

When she decided to sang about the baby jesus, Barbie Idol staked out a particular audience. That audience is not going to be happy if she de-countrifies songs for top 40 radio.

If her fans had no problem with Before He Cheats, they won’t have a problem with this one. She’s pretty much established her brand within country music and is even a member of the Opry. That’s no small feat. I think you’re underestimating that. Her brand was not determined by JTTW.

ETA: Windmills, thanks for the info on the pop version. It went poof before I could check it out.

cool stuff hwc. thanks.

Country music as a genre and an institution is so damn predicatable. Every few years they anoint a new blond representative to carry their message of hope, love, and beauty out into the dark world. Now this “great” honor has fallen on little Carrie’s shoulders and she’s carrying it around with humble determination.

The woman has the personality of a tree…and she sings the same every time she sings a song….there is no emotion or change-up or personality in any of her performances. Don’t get me wrong, her voice is beautiful but she is like a little blond robot out there…nothing ever changes, she never tries anything new within the confines of a song. She sounds like her record every damn time.

And of course the blase’ public eats it up. She is that princess in that tower who can do no wrong and just makes the world a more beautiful place by being in it. Ugh. Oh well, I’ll just go back to listening to some “good” singers and forget about Carrie…never have purchased any thing from her, and never will.

I bought “Before He Cheats.” It’s a song I think a lot of women can identify with… and that’s why it was successful. I agree that modern country for the most part sucks compared to old country or alt country, but I’m not going to dismiss someone because she’s making music that sells. I’ll bet lots of people would love to be so fortunate. I’ll also never dismiss someone in their twenties who could possibly grow as an artist. That’s just me.

The woman has the personality of a tree’ ¦and she sings the same every time she sings a song’ ¦.there is no emotion or change-up or personality in any of her performances. Don’t get me wrong, her voice is beautiful but she is like a little blond robot out there’ ¦nothing ever changes, she never tries anything new within the confines of a song. She sounds like her record every damn time.

And of course the blase’ public eats it up. She is that princess in that tower who can do no wrong and just makes the world a more beautiful place by being in it. Ugh. Oh well, I’ll just go back to listening to some ‘good’  singers and forget about Carrie’ ¦never have purchased any thing from her, and never will.

Well this is your opinion and I respect it but as one of the blase’ public you so snobbishly condemn I think she sings great and is someone who sings better live. Her version of Just a Dream at the 2008 CMA was full of emotion and amazing. It had me all choked up. I am also sure Carrie is crying all the way to the bank that you have never purchased anything from her. Ok that last part was snarky but an expert in music like you are I am sure can handle it. :-) Have a great day

I try so hard to like Carrie but I just can’t get on board, I continue to get extremely bored by her and her music.

This will be a big hit on country radio, but I’m not hearing the crossover appeal hmm. Say what you will about Taylor Swift’s voice but that girl owns country-pop crossovers and you can’t beat her at her own game. Carrie should hit it hard and fast with what she has above Swift – her singing ability – and I’m not hearing a lot of that in this song.

“The woman has the personality of a tree’ ¦and she sings the same every time she sings a song’ ¦.there is no emotion or change-up or personality in any of her performances. Don’t get me wrong, her voice is beautiful but she is like a little blond robot out there’ ¦nothing ever changes, she never tries anything new within the confines of a song. She sounds like her record every damn time.”

Just curious – when was the last time you watched a live Carrie performance? Your argument sounds very 2006. Artists grow, but from your closed-minded post, I wouldn’t suspect you’d give anyone a chance long enough to see growth.

Paradise City
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ztbLPxvFaU

Just a Dream
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpVqpa7gl48

Jesus Take the Wheel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URfwBcz51sI

she is a beautiful girl inside and out with a powerful and awesome voice, the song is pretty good.

Paradise City
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ztbLPxvFaU

Just a Dream
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpVqpa7gl48

Jesus Take the Wheel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URfwBcz51sI

Thanks for posting these Tara. I am Fully enjoying them.

Very very clever to have 2 versions of the song, Shania did it quite successfully she even had 2 different co singers, Mark McGrath and Billy Currington. Both versions are on her Greatest Hits Album and I like both actually. And have some peeps forgotten, Carrie has already had at least one crossover hit – Before He Cheats.

but I’m not going to dismiss someone because she’s making music that sells. I’ll bet lots of people would love to be so fortunate.

Oh, I don’t hold it against her at all. No hard feelings whatsover. My attitude is “you go girl”. I’m just not interested in her “product”. But, it’s not like she’s a tool like, for example, DAUGHTRY. She’s a robot. She’s Barbie Idol. She’s about as sexy as dishwater, but none of that is a reason to dislike the girl. Now, if she gets UNDERWOOD inked across her back, that’s a different story!

Shania’s second mix of Come On Over was exclusively for the European pop release, where it was a huge hit in Germany, France, and the UK. She sold 4 million in the UK alone.

Her next album actually had three mixes, with each market getting two. The US market got the country mix (green disc) and the pop mix (red). Europe got the pop mix and the Indian Bollywood world mix (blue). That one has never been available in the US. I downloaded it the other day. Wow. You talk about some weird sh–, man. Shania’s vocals with sitars and tabla drums and Bollywood techno. Well, alrighty then.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eexPVG-SOs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b99sb78mUKU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUQ5MAZ-Vm0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CxWOClbpcg

Were those Barbie Idol videos supposed to make us like her? That first one was a hot mess. What was that? A Briitney Spears imitation? Tell me that was for a Saturday Night Live skit? Right? That was gross.

I don’t know enough about Carrie’s work to have a strong opinion, but I thought her performance of “I Told You So” on the show with Randy Travis was really good. One of the best guest performances, I thought.

Don’t like it on the first listen, but it may grow on me.

I’m not a country fan, but I like the “country” version better than the “pop” version, in this case.

Carrie’s just not much of a songwriter (at least, at this point.) I’m not sure how that rap-like syncopated vocal is going to play on the country stations. I don’t think her voice sounds great either but that is likely the producers fault.

anyone got the demo version of it as would love to hear it but cant seem to find it anywhere