Amazon.com Customer Reviews
If for no other reason... - Review written on June 06, 2008
Rating: 5 out of 5
1 customer found this review helpful.
...you should buy this CD just to hear the duet with Justin Timberlake, The Only Promise That Remains. But let me clarify a couple of things.
This isn't a true duet. In actuality, Timberlake only sings backup and not very much, but it's enough. He said on Oprah that he wrote the song for Reba when he heard she was making a duet album and even she (Reba) was skeptical until she heard it.
I'm not a Reba fan. I don't even really like country music. But this is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard in my life. If you don't like Justin Timberlake, fine. If you don't like Reba, fine. Set aside any reservations or prejudices you may have about the artists and just listen to the song, to the words, and the lovely arrangement, and I don't think you'll be disappointed.
And actually, you don't even have to buy the whole CD to hear it, just download the mp3. I haven't listened to the whole CD yet, so maybe my 5-star rating isn't completely accurate or fair, but that song alone deserves it. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Timberlake wins a Grammy for it.
Reba could do better - Review written on January 10, 2008
Rating: 3 out of 5
2 customers found this review helpful, 1 did not.
I really wanted to love this cd. I really did, as I have always enjoyed Reba but have been very disappointed with her last few cd's. When I heard the first duet single, "Because of You", the remake of the Kelly Clarkson pop hit, I was sure ready to buy the cd. It is a fantastic cut and I hoped the rest of the cd would be great too. After giving the cd a few listens I can say the cd has some excellent songs but unfortunately most of the cd is very mediocre. Surprisingly the best song is more of a solo. The Justin Timberlake penned "The Only Promise That Remains" is an excellent song for Reba, although Justin does not duet on the song but really just provides harmony vocals. Reba's vocals are in good shape and she does sound better here then she has in a long time. However, the 2 main problems with the cd are the constant attempts to show power vocals instead of just giving the song the best treatment. The power vocals work great on the Kelly Clarkson duet but fail in most other attempts, especially the duet with Faith Hill on "Sleeping with the Telephone". The biggest disappointment thought is the lack of the quality of songs themselves. The vocal performances for the most part are good but the songs are not the best written. Maybe Reba should think of looking into the catalog of songwriters such as Kris Kristofferson or Dolly Parton for a lesson in a well written tune. That is not to say that CD isn't worth a listen. The duets with Ronnie Dunn & Kenny Chesney were not half bad. Overall, if you are a Reba fan you will like this as it is an improvement over her past few CD's. However, if you are not a Reba diehard I would recommend going to I-tunes and just downloading the few good cuts there are.