Carrie Underwood’s newest album, Cry Pretty, will have you excited for both the nostalgia and the most mature sound we’ve heard from her yet.
Since that fateful day in 2005, Carrie Underwood has been a mainstay in every playlist I’ve ever made. No matter what my mood or attitude on any particular day, Carrie has always had a song to soothe my soul or embolden my spirit. I have been an avid fan her entire career and could not have been more excited for her newest album, especially after the release of the “Cry Pretty” single this past April.
The best way to measure any Carrie Underwood album is by comparing it to all her incredible work that has come before, so here’s where I believe Cry Pretty ranks in the hierarchy of her work so far.
Our ranking of Carrie Underwood’s studio albums
6. Carnival Ride (2007)
Okay, so while this isn’t my favorite of Carrie’s studio albums, it does have some great songs on it. “Last Name” is arguably one of her best known tunes, and “So Small” happens to be one of my absolute favorite songs of hers, but the album as a whole doesn’t pack the punch that so many of her others have.
There’s always one song on every Carrie album that makes me cry and on this one, it’s “Just a Dream.” I have to skip it unless I’m in the mood to bawl because it’s just so damn heartbreaking.
Songs you shouldn’t miss: ‘So Small’ – ‘I Know You Won’t’
5. Storyteller (2015)
This is the album I probably know the least well. It came at a time when music lost its luster for me a little bit, and I didn’t feel as moved to listen to it as a whole. There are still some wonderful songs on here, but I think when it comes to Carrie Underwood, this album is one that people may not remember. Or, maybe it’s just the one I need to rediscover after I have all the Cry Pretty songs memorized.
Songs you shouldn’t miss: ‘Heartbeat’ – ‘The Girl You Think I Am’
4. Some Hearts (2005)
Classic Carrie Underwood has a charm all its own. From “I Ain’t in Checotah Anymore” to “We’re Young and Beautiful,” this album created the standard to which we would all hold Ms. Underwood for the rest of her career. With both chart-topping singles and tracks that only her most diehard fans will remember, Some Hearts is one hell of a debut album.
It taught me that Carrie would not only have me shout-singing at the top of my lungs into a hairbrush to “Before He Cheats,” but would have me blubbering listening to “Don’t Forget to Remember Me” as my parents drove away from dropping me off for my second year of college. This album still stands as a truly great collection of songs, and it’s a credit to Carrie’s legacy that it’s only number four on this list.
Songs you shouldn’t miss: ‘Don’t Forget to Remember Me’ – ‘Jesus, Take the Wheel’ – ‘I Ain’t in Checotah Anymore’
3. Cry Pretty (2018)
Okay, so Cry Pretty doesn’t make the number one slot, but that’s simply because of the sheer quality of the next two albums. This album has only been out a short time, but I’ve already identified songs that I will be returning to regularly for the rest of my life.
“Love Wins” is the next obvious single off this record. It’s incredible. It’s a song with a message we all need to hear. I hope this song becomes an anthem for us all. The title track, “Cry Pretty” has been out for a few months now as the first single, but is a damn good song all the same. It should not be overlooked because we already know it so well.
“That Song That We Used to Make Love To” was a bit of a surprise for me, but I can’t stop searching for it when I put the album on shuffle. It’s sexy and fun and everything you probably didn’t realize you wanted out of a Carrie song. I love it.
Songs you shouldn’t miss: ‘Love Wins’ – ‘Kingdom’ – ‘The Bullet’
2. Play On (2009)
This album has so many songs that I am constantly drawn to that it definitely ranks higher than Cry Pretty, but just barely. This album has more songs cowritten by Underwood than her first two combined. This just feels like her album. You can tell she found her writer’s voice in this collection of songs and wanted to be more involved than ever before.
I always am pleasantly surprised by how many songs are absolutely wonderful on this album, as I tend to think that one or two of them must have been on previous records. That just isn’t the case. This collection is just about the perfect blend of fun, emotional, and direct.
The singles off this album are solid, especially the starting track, “Cowboy Casanova,” but there are so many great songs on this one that you can’t go wrong with Play On.
Songs you shouldn’t miss: ‘Undo It’ – ‘Mama’s Song’ – ‘Unapologize’ – ‘Quitter’
1. Blown Away (2012)
Carrie’s most impressive album has to be Blown Away. It just has a spunk that she’s always had that really flowed out of her when putting this album together. From the title track, “Blown Away” and “Two Black Cadillacs,” it’s clear this album has a dark edge we had never really seen before.
That’s not to say this record doesn’t have its fun tracks, too. “One Way Ticket” and “Cupid’s Got a Shotgun” definitely bring the fun factor, and it’s a good contrast to the many parts of this album that have classic Carrie attitude but with a slightly more pointed delivery.
This album has my most favorite Carrie song ever in “See You Again.” It was the fourth single off the album, but from the moment I hit play that first time I listened, I was in love. This song just has everything going for it. It’s heartfelt, it’s incredibly produced, and has a hook that never seems to leave your head. With eight cowriting credits, Blown Away is where our country countess dove deep for emotional resonance that you can hear pulsating out of every track.
