Somewhere in Nashville today, Faith Hill is sticking pins in a little cloth doll that looks just like Carrie Underwood. See, I have a love/hate relationship with country music. I love the music that is acoustically driven that celebrates the lives and loves of the common man. I hate the music that celebrates ignorance and glorifies trashiness and makes anyone who is from the country (or the south) look like stupid, uneducated and overly aggressive people. In my opinion, being a "redneck woman" is nothing to sing proudly about. Anyway…I listened to Carrie Underwood’s new cd yesterday while I was on the treadmill and plan to do so again today. It celebrates the small town, simple life in a smart, funny and charming way. Her songs are incredibly well-written, well-crafted songs with beautiful melodies that could easily be used in a text book on songwriting. One song, Just A Dream, hit me so hard that it brought me to tears and I had to literally slow down the treadmill to get my composure while I went back and listened to it again. Her one foray into "trashy" things (Last Name) was done so tongue-in-cheek and in such a southern-apologetic way (Mama would have been ashamed) that it just made me smile. People are going to "blame" the success on her record on her American Idol start or her incredible voice, but WE know the truth, don’t we? Great, great songs. Faith Hill has always been my go-to girl for great, smart, country songs but I think Carrie may be quickly sawing away at the legs on that throne!