New Music Preview: Carrie Underwood’s “Play On,” “Glee” Soundtrack

By Christopher John Farley

Tuesday is the traditional release date for new music and two notable albums drop this week: Country singer Carrie Underwood’s “Play On,” and “Glee: The Music, Volume 1.”

The television show “Glee” follows a group of misfit students at fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio who are members of a high school show choir. One of the comedy-drama-musical’s chief selling points is that it’s multimedia–the songs that are featured in the show (mostly covers of pop hits) are also made available for purchase on iTunes. Watch the show, buy the song.

The new “Glee” album collects some of the debut season’s musical highlights, including the cast’s cover of the rock band Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” and “Glee” star Lea Michele’s take on Rihanna’s “Take a Bow.” It’s fun to hear a choral take on top-40 tunes, and some of the singers on the show are quite good (Michele appeared in the rock musical “Spring Awakening” on Broadway, and the cast, lead by Amber Riley, recently sang the National Anthem at the World Series).

The show shines when the songs don’t seem too polished–then the actors can serve as surrogates for the karaoke ham inside of each one of us. If you’re a fan the show, the album will evoke fond memories of favorite episodes, giving the songs with an emotional backstory that many pop hits lack.

“Glee: The Music, Volume 1″ covers music from the show’s first nine episodes; “Glee: The Music Volume 2,” which is due out Dec. 8, will feature hits from the latter half of the season.

26-year-old Carrie Underwood, a former “American Idol” winner, is one of the biggest stars in country music (she was named Entertainer of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards); her last album, “Carnival Ride,” was a multi-platinum hit.

What’s interesting about Underwood is that her songs sometimes display a feistiness that’s in sharp contrast to her pop gloss. Her debut album featured the song “Before He Cheats,” about a wronged woman who trashes the “pretty little souped-up 4-wheel drive” of a cheating man. One of the new album’s singles is “Cowboy Casanova”–a full-throttle attack on a good ole boy who inspires obsession in women. “You better take it from me,” Underwood sings. “That boy is like a disease.” On another track she wails “Wanna find some boy/ rip his heart right out…And if it wasn’t for guys like you there wouldn’t be songs like this.” Sense a trend here?