[.ca] No Fences

Amazon.com essential recording:
No Fences captures Garth Brooks just after his initial success yet before superstardom. Though it includes "The Thunder Rolls," another of the pop-country power ballads he'd introduced with "The Dance," No Fences bounces mainly between impersonations--often catchy and engaging ones, but impersonations nonetheless. "Wild Horses" is straight-up George Strait, while "Two of a Kind" and "Friends in Low Places" are John Anderson and Hank Jr. respectively. The best moment, the Dan Fogleberg-like "Unanswered Prayers," relays a message either highly spiritual or hugely rationalized. Regardless, it succeeds because its delivery is earnest, sweet, and humble--something Garth wouldn't be for long. --David Cantwell

This Album Is Perfectly Named (II):
As with his first album, this sophomore effort on the part of Garth Brooks is perfectly named. "No Fences" very directly expresses Garths intention to go beyond the boundaries that other artist in country music set. This album gave us the first glimpse into Garth's true rock-and-roll roots. Though still more conventional than his later albums, Garth shifted from the twangy highs and lows of "Garth Brooks" and focused on a more polished style, filled with an eclectic and diverse range of sounds. The first song from the album "The Thunder Rolls" perfectly demonstrates this transition. It tells of a cheating husband, driving home in the middle of an intense thunderstorm from his adultress to a wife that waits anxiously by the telephone, hoping that nothing has happened, and at the same time suspecting that she knows what has been happening all along. The song was controversal for its time, and too controversal in its original form. The song contains a third verse (not on the album) that was considered so violent by record execs at Capitol, it was cut from the recording. Garth introduced the verse to audiences while touring, and it met with resounding success, but was never recorded until the "Double Live" album. Garth's departure from traditional country stylings would become more appearant in future albums, but this album still contained some songs that would be considered standards in the industry. "Wild Horses", a song about a rodeo-riders conflict between settling down and being "dragged" away to the rodeo, is pure country, more in keeping with the stylings of George Strait (a singer Garth has admitted to emulating throughout his career). The biggest hits of this album, in stark contrast to "Garth Brooks" were a trifecta of pieces that were stylistically, very oppossed to one another, and suprisingly, equally riveting in their own way. "Two Of A Kind, Working On A Full House" became a staple piece for Garth, using a catchy "hook" analagous with poker to describe the relationship of two lovers-husband and wife-and their intentions of having a family. The catchy melody and clever lyrics gave the song a clever spin that audiences loved. "Unanswered Prayers", more in keeping with songs like "If Tomorrow Never Comes" and "The Dance" was a ballad that almost anyone could relate to. The song suggests that sometimes things happen according to God's plan, not our own desires. Almost religious in its message, the song was a stark contrast to the irreverant "Friends In Low Places", the biggest hit off this album, and, next to "The Dance", probably Garth's biggest hit ever. "Low Places" is a straight-out honkey tonk, neon-lights, good-times-with-good-friends bar song. Where "The Dance" is profound, "Friends In Low Places" is fun, and audiences around the globe love it. This song was so successful that it climbed the charts of not only country radio, but Billboard's top 100, and peaked out as a number 1 on radio in all markets! This album would be the last ignitor to launch Garth's career from mere artist to true country superstar. It would put his name in every household and introduce him to a world of music fans who had, before this point, shunned country music. Though some critics consider this an inferior album to "Garth Brooks", it is nonetheless a strong effort and a great collection of songs.

Stupid Country:
Country is one of the most stupid and hackneyed genres in music today. All the songs have the same concept: 'I'm drivin' along the county line in my pickup truck, jukebox in the back, sippin' beer, I'm feelin' lonesome tonight". And nobody is more stupidly country than Garth Brooks. What a jerk. He thinks he's such a hot guy. Tommy Lee could blow his pants off any day. I can't understand why this album, or any album like this for that matter, acheived this level of sucsess. It's dumb and silly. Stay away from this atrocious album.

SHUTUP!!!!!!!:
i mean one star is too much. garth brooks reiks. why wasnt he a victim of the texas chainsaw massacre, lol?!?!? try out some Zombie, some real good music

More of this:
It's interesting that Mr. Brooks used to be in advertising. Because he has done for country music what the Saatchi brothers did for the advertising industry. And that is to make it big business. And while county fairs, not stadiums, are the true venue of country music, you can't deny how he's transformed the industry. In recent years George Jones, the most colossal talent in country music, has befriended Brooks. Maybe Garth will start doing more country shows and fewer rock concerts.

Garth's most cohesive release. Mass appeal need not suck:
Rarely have I seen critics trash an entertainer in the manner that they attacked Garth Brooks. Are there better country acts out there? Of course there are. Are there better pop acts out there? Same answer, yet again, but it seems like critics seemed especially harsh on Brooks because of how successful he was in ushering the era of country-pop to the masses. Many saw him as the devil incarnate using with marketing skills by using the purity of more traditional acts, such as Merle Haggard, George Straight, and Jack Anderson just to name a few, and somehow prostituting it to the masses. I think that the perception is unjust as Garth's music is influenced as much as any other artist as they don't work in a vacuum. In my opinion Garth's music could be compared to more critically acclaimed country/pop/rock acts, such as The Eagles, Jackson Browne, Kenny Loggins, and Dan Fobelberg. Although two of my favorite songs (If Tomorrow Never Comes and The Dance) come from his self-titled debut CD, "No Fences" (his second release) was his most cohesive and the one to hit pay dirt with gems like sweeping The Thunder Rolls, the honky tonk Friends In Low Places, and Unanswered Prayers, which always gets a rise out of me. While some may just think that he is a lightweight with an ear for what will succeed, other reviews start getting into irrelevant issues like his culpability in the Trish Yearwood divorce so I wanted to put in my two cents as I really like this CD. While not a masterpiece or an innovator, Garth Brooks, especially in this release, put together a set of songs that represent pure entertainment and it certainly does not make me feel bad the morning after. Garth was not a novelty act like say The Spice Girls, and the fact that I am enjoying this release as much as I ever have convinces me that this music is good period. Sometimes you may want to listen to Patsy Cline. Johnny Cash, Hank Williams (Sr. and Jr.) and it's just as acceptable to want your share of Garth Brooks. Popular appeal does not necessarily mean that something is bad. And for the "reviewers" who leave one line hate (and even love) notes, that don't bother to get into why they disliked (or liked) a product, it is a disservice to the vast majority of AWESOME people who take the time to try to put words down that will help the rest of us make better entertainment buying choices. Thanks to all the great people who have helped me discover acts like The Mavericks and Los Lonely Boys, just to name a couple, that I would have never had the pleasure to listen to without your valued input.

• Thunder Rolls
• New Way to Fly
• Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House
• Victim of the Game
• Friends in Low Places
• This Ain't Tennessee
• Wild Horses
• Unanswered Prayers
• Same Old Story
• Mr. Blue
• Wolves