Martina McBride › The Way That I Am

A budget-priced collection of favorites from Martina McBride. All original recordings.

Personnel: Martina McBride (vocals, tambourine); Brent Mason, Biff Watson, Paul Worley, Bill Hullett (acoustic & electric guitars); Johnny Garcia, Dan Huff, Dan Dugmore (electric guitars); Charlie Whitten, Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Mary Kathryn Vanosdale, Grace Mihi Bahng, Kristin Wilkinson (strings); Larry Franklin (fiddle); Steve Nathan, Anthony S. Martin (keyboards, background vocals); Joe Chemay (bass); Lonnie Wilson (drums); Dennis Wilson, John Wesley Ryles, Pamela Rose, Mary Anne Kennedy, Vicki Hampton, Ashley Cleveland, Herb Perderson, Deryl Dodd, Bret Beavers (background vocals).

Poducers: Ed Seay, Martina McBride, Paul Worley.

Recorded at The Money Pit, Nashville, Tennessee.

"Independence Day" was nominated for Best Female Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song in the 37th Annual Grammy Awards.

Personnel: Martina McBride; Ashley Cleveland.

Martina McBride has been a performer ever since she was a child, touring with her musical family, a la The Partridge Family. But all those years on the road obviously came in handy, because on her sophomore album, THE WAY THAT I AM, McBride exudes the vocal confidence of a pro.

If this album was her breakthrough, then the bouncy, infectious pop ditty, "My Baby Loves Me," was her smash-through single. She followed it up with the urgent "Life #9" and anthemic "Independence Day," her assertive stance on abuse. The opening rockabilly "Heart Trouble" offers the proper introduction to the nice acoustic edge permeating the album.

Vocally potent throughout, McBride glides through rock, pop, ballad, rockabilly, and blues. If there are any doubts about McBride's vocal stylings, check out the bluesy ballad "Where I Used To Have A Heart." Without knowing, it could easily be mistaken for early Bonnie Raitt.

This is not a country album; it's a pop album with a slight Kansas accent. On THE WAY THAT I AM, the way that McBride is -- strong voiced, pretty (she has those piercing blue eyes), and in full control of her music -- is just right.

Genre:

• Country & Bluegrass

Labels:

• Collectables Records

Music Categories:

• Country: Contemporary

Product Groupings:

• Collectables Records - Audio CDs

Product Series:

• Bargain Audio CDs & Priceless Collection