Published on Dec 15, 1999
Of all the country divas that rule their genre, I think that
Faith Hill is perhaps the one that can appease both her diehard
country brethren while achieving crossover success in the lands of
pop. She has a set of pipes that can manage both the standard
country-fare while being capable of tackling lighter stuff – and I
do mean her voice pipes. After the success of her last album and
its hit single, “This Kiss,” it’s no wonder that Ms. Hill would
follow that up with more of the same in this one.
The album kicks off with “What’s In It For Me,” a rather strong
mix of country and pop. The vocals almost reach into the gospel
category. It’s very good. Another great song in the album is its
title track. If it is not a single already, it must be soon. This
song is destined for the prom night halls and the wedding
receptions of tomorrow. (Yeah, it’s that good and strong.)
Other strong tracks are Bruce Springsteen’s “If I Should Fall
Behind” — where the band allows Hill to carry the work with her
voice and provide just enough adequate backing — “That’s How Love
Moves” — where, even with a slow tempo, the band mostly works…
though I would have cut out the violins at the end. Also, “There
Will Come A Day,” which sits between country and gospel, but,
unlike Shania Twain’s “God Bless The Child,” works beautifully. My
only complaint with it is that it was stuck as the album closer. I
feel it would have worked better somewhere in the middle of the
album.
And, include on that pile, her duet with country star/hubby Tim
McGraw. Besides stealing one of my fantasies (did I just reveal too
much??), “Let’s Make Love” works great because it centers on the
vocal talents of both McGraw and Hill. (If you get the feeling that
I think she’s got a great voice, give yourself a treat and move
three spaces ahead).
This is also the cause of my biggest gripes here. “It Will Be
Me” is a good song that is played at a faster tempo than I would
have liked – oh, and cut out that instrumental bit at the end! “If
I’m Not In Love” is also good, but I see where it’s going a mile
before it gets there. Why instead could they not just have had Hill
singing this with a piano, a violin and nothing else? That would
have made it much better!! “Love Is A Sweet Thing” is a weak song
that is saved by Hill’s vocals. And along with that, there’s “The
Way You Love Me,” which also features the first sign of electronica
I’ve ever heard in a country album. (Hint: the drums!)
Finally, there’s a few songs that I just can’t believe where
added here. “I Got My Baby” is standard and by-the-numbers pop. I
wouldn’t have added it here. “If My Heart Had Wings” is somewhat
good, but not by much. Then, there’s “Bringing Out the Elvis.” Why,
oh why, did they add this song here? Did they feel Hill wasn’t
“rocking out” enough??? It’s a shame and a shamble. Ugh!
However, this doesn’t detract me from the quality of the album.
If you’re a country fan, you will like it. If you’re a pop fan, you
will like it. If you want to get down to the urban beats of the
ghetto school, sorry, wrong album. Overall,
Breathe is great and should do fine both on the charts and
with the critics. It did great with this one.