Faith Hill
Breathe

By Dwayne Carter
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CD Stock Number: Wea ASIN: B00002SSRE

  Ok, so I'm quite proud of myself on this selection. I actually hunted down the CD, because I liked the song. NOT because of what the artist looked like (he…I can grow, can't I). Sure, I knew that there is this hot country babe called Faith Hill, and I heard a cool Pop tune about breathing…but I never put the two together. Imagine my surprise, when the Kiosk sent me to the Faith Hill section!  WOW..a nice (yet sappy single called, "Breath") and I get to stare at the CD cover while I review the CD.

This is a great country.

Well... as I applauded my latest personal growth, I was looking forward to expanding my country CD collection (which consists of just about 6 CD's, now). Faith Hill's latest CD, Breathe, is her fourth CD to date, I believe (I'm not an expert on her career). I can't compare this CD to her other work (which I've never listened to), but I can make one bold statement (ok…I've been known to make a few)...

THIS IS NOT A COUNTRY CD!!

Not is the traditional sense. This CD is all over the place, Pop, Diva Dance, Pop-Country……you name it! The CD opens with "What's In It For Me" and "I Got My Baby". Two OK tunes. Pop-Country  tunes at their best. They both reminded my of a Shania Twain tune (I understand they are having a Belly Button Showing War…who will win?). "Love Is A Sweet Thing" is the first song that caught my attention. Faith must REALLY be in love, lately. Five of the thirteen songs on this CD have "Love" in the title…but who's counting. Anyhoo, "Love Is A Sweet Thing" has a nice blues' feel to it. Then comes, "Breathe", the CD title and the reason I bought the CD to begin with. I have a soft spot for songs with Breathe or Heart in them (or some reference to them). I don't know why.  Another "Breathe-like" song I like would be Maria McKee's…well… "Breathe".( Geffen Goldline; ASIN: B000000OZ3).

I think the song reminds me, of when I would stay awake and watch my wife (then girlfriend) sleep. She was so peaceful; I was so awake (bas bouts of insomnia). Hey…didn't I just describe an Aerosmith song? Anyway, Faith sings her "Breathe" with all the conviction she can muster. I'm sure you've heard the song about 25 times a day, by now….but I'll continue:

"The whole world
  Just fades away
  The only thing I hear
  Is the beating of your heart

'Cause I can feel you breathe
 It's washing over me
 And suddenly
 I'm melting into you
 There's nothing left to prove,
 Baby all we need is just to be
 Caught up in the touch
 A slow and steady rush

Baby isn't that the way,
That love's supposed to be...
I can feel you breathe..."

A little sappy, but I can deal.

Faith then sings a sexy duet with the luckiest man on earth, husband Tim McGraw.  "Let Make Love" . Uh... OK... you don't need to ask twice! "Until the Sun comes up…let's make love". OK... not this guy WILLINGLY tours all year? Taking him AWAY from this woman for months at a time?

Some men are fools.  But I digress...

The rest of the CD is a bit of this and that. There's the forgettable, "Bringing Out the Elvis", followed by the stadium anthem, "If My Heart Had Wings". So you'll go up and down. As my first Faith Hill CD, I think I will play it more than my Shania Twain CD, but not nearly as much as my Dixie Chicks.  Buy it, if you're a fan. Speaking of Faith... did anyone catch "Faith's" return on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" this week? Man, there's something about a Bad Girl, that makes a good boy…um…Bad!

Enjoyment: 78

Sound Quality:  81