Martina McBride’s debut studio album was 1992’s THE TIME HAS
COME. None of the songs on it cracked
the Top 10 and two of the three singles didn’t even make the Top 40. It wouldn’t be long though before Martina’s
fortunes would change and she’d become known for such songs as: ‘Independence
Day’, ‘Wild Angels’, ‘Valentine’, ‘I Love You’, ‘This One’s For the Girls’, and
‘(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden’.
Martina’s ninth studio album was WAKING UP LAUGHING (2007, RCA). It peaked at #2 on the U.S. Top Country
Albums Chart and at #4 on the U.S. Billboard 200. Martina produced the album and in the liner
notes writes: ``Thank You, first and foremost, to God. Hopefully I am using Your gifts in a way that
pleases You”.
The album’s opening track, 'If I Had Your Name', is a modern country song delivered
with attitude: “If I was a wise man I would be doin’ what I should be doin’ by
now/Cause you’re like a new key made with the wrong cut/Stuck tryin’ to break
into my home/You’re like a bottle sent with a message/But you’re sinkin’ like a
stone/If I had your name/I’d be changin’ it by now”. ‘Cry Cry (‘Til the Sun Shines)’ was penned by
Marv Green, Chris Lindsey, Hillary Lindsey, and Aimee Mayo. It’s an upbeat modern country number on which
Brent Mason, Dan Dugmore, and Paul Worley play electric guitars. It offers hope: “We’re all here just tryin’
to live our lives/Payin’ our electric bills and spendin’ up our time/When there
ain’t a friend to be found/You can’t break through the concrete clouds/When the
rain, when the rain comes crashin’ down/Cry, cry ‘til the sun shines baby/Cry,
cry ‘til the sun shines/It’s gonna be alright (2X)”. Keith Urban sings harmony vocals and plays a
guitar solo on ‘Tryin’ to Find a Reason’, a sad country ballad: “I don’t know
how long this pain will last/All I know is it can’t go on forever/Isn’t this
just pointless anyway/If you’re tryin’ to find a reason to stay?/It’s hard to
admit it, what we know inside/We’ve tried everything, everything but
goodbye/Say goodbye”.
‘For These Times’ is a gospel infused song featuring The
Settles Connection and harmony vocals by Vicki Hampton, Kim Fleming, and Robert
Bailey. These lyrics take the listener
to church: “Blessed is the believer who knows love is our redeemer and the only
breath of life/For these times in which we live/Well, give me a heart full of
tender mercy and arms I will open wide/Yeah, give me words full of loving
kindness/And hands ready to hold up a light/For these times in which we live
(2X)”. ‘Anyway’ is one of two songs
written by Brad Warren, Brett Warren, and Martina. It hit #5 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs
Chart. ‘Anyway’ is a marvelous
inspirational anthem: “You can chase a dream that seems so out of reach/And you
know it might not ever come your way/Dream it anyway/God is great, but sometimes
life ain’t good/And when I pray it doesn’t always turn out like I think it
should/But I do it anyway, I do it anyway”.
Gordon Mote plays piano and The Nashville String Machine is used to good
effect on the song.
‘How I Feel’ is a happy country/pop tune: “Your lucky coat,
the first day of Fall/When you wake up laughin’ just because/An old church door
that stays wide open/A perfect heart that’s never been broken/That’s how I feel
when I’m with you (2X)/That’s how I feel/That’s how I feel when I’m with you”. Brett Warren’s harmony vocals are terrific
here! ‘I’ll Still Be Me’ is a pretty
ballad on which a lady declares her steadfast devotion to her man: “I’ll still
be me/Just a normal girl from small town nowhere/I’ll still hold your hand and
wear this ring/I’ll still be me/If you can count on one thing, I’ll be here/The
same girl that you’ve known for centuries/I’ll still be me.../Empires could
rise and fall/The sun could swallow the moon/And I don’t hold a crystal
ball/But I promise you/I’ll still be me”.
‘Beautiful Again’ is a breezy country song on which Carolyn
Dawn Johnson contributes harmony vocals.
The lyrics display a positive outlook on life: “Her boyfriend said ‘I’m
way too young to get married’/But she made up her mind that somehow she was
gonna find a way to keep that baby she carried/And he just walked away/And then
she smiles ‘cause she knows in the end/The world gets beautiful, beautiful
again”. Steve Nathan plays the B-3 on
‘Everybody Does’. These lyrics offer
hope: “How many times have you said ‘He’s the one’/And found out that he
wasn’t?/Always thinking it’s gonna hurt forever/But then one day it doesn’t
anymore/You’ve come so far/Still a long way to go/Just remember, you’re never
alone”.
Billy Montana, Jenai, and Ilya Toshinsky wrote ‘House of A
Thousand Dreams’. Mandolin, steel
guitar, pump organ, and accordion are used on this quaint country story song
about a family who doesn’t have much, but they have each other. Last up is the touching story song ‘Love
Land’. Here is part of it: “Amazing all
the progress we’ve made since the days of Thomas Edison/Still only God gives
life in spite of modern medicine/Doctor`s voices whispered ‘We did all that we
could do, but your baby wasn’t strong enough to make it the whole nine
months’/And as my world broke in two/He said `I`ll carry you to Love Land’/For
the longest time I blamed myself/Thought I was paying for my mistakes/But we
tried again/Now we’re watchin’ him blow three candles out/He’s Daddy’s little
man”.
WAKING UP LAUGHING is a splendid return to modern country
music after Martina’s 2005 venture into country and western classics on TIMELESS. Martina’s vocals are strong indeed on this
2007 release. If you are a fan of Trisha
Yearwood or Kelly Clarkson’s voices, you will enjoy Martina’s. Musically, there is a good mix of slow, fast,
and mid-tempo songs. The most common
lyrical theme is hope in the midst of life’s problems. The trials included on this album include
romantic relationship break-ups, poverty, and the loss of a child. There are also a couple happy love songs
included. The pictures of Martina that
come with the CD are gorgeous! I’m
rating WAKING UP LAUGHING 95%. For more
info visit: www.martinamcbride.com.