Search - Diamond Rio :: Completely

Has some REAL Gems, and some Coal to boot!

Michael R. Lachance | Maine, USA | 02/27/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Being my first real experience with Diamond Rio, I had heard "Beautiful MEss" a few times on the radio and was drawn to get this CD. Of course its a great, catchy tune, but I wanted to hear what else D.R. had up their collective sleeves. I will agree completely (pun) that this CD contains nearly the entire spectrum of country music, both modern and conventional CW formats... but the one fault here lays in that the band has gone a little too far in the production department. Let's get the coal out of the way first. A few tunes ('I Believe','Something Cool','Completely') fall way short, or just way outside, the mark; 'Completely' is just out of its league here on this CD... a bit too much sap, not enough groove... 'I Believe' sounds like some Michael W. Smith/Christian Pop Band trying to touch uninterested heart strings that don't need touching... sure it's a love ballad, but its way too sappy for it's own good and WAY over-produced... not appropriate for a great country band such as these guys... 'Something Cool' reminds me of poor Alfalfa trying to impress the girl in the old 'Our Gang' series... awkward, schreechy, and WAY off key. It's a light hearted tune, but just falls WAY short of it's intended mark, and nearly makes the band look like a joke. Fortunately we all know better. The rest of this CD makes up for these shortfalls.'Beautiful Mess' is the diamond (pun) in this mine. Catchy, country and powerful, if you cant find yourself singing along with this radio hit your mostly likely not alive.'Big 'Ole Fire' is a fine tune, standard, if somewhat generic country material, but it works, is very listenable, uplifting and positive, and tastefully produced. 'The Box' weighs in as acceptable, great groove, although the acapella "the box!" spiked throughout the tune tends to embarrass the listener. Not to mention the vocals have moments reminiscent of Stevie Wonder in the 1970's... Odd... But the tune has its high points, its definately got funk. Perhaps it could have been produced more tastefully, but it works, somehow... still a good tune."We All Fall Down" and "Wrinkles" are both awesome tunes. powerful, emotional, catchy, well produced and well sung, the band pulls together here to recover from the tailspin of the above mentioned shortcomings!'If you'd Like Some Lovin' is a great old-style Buck Owens-ish tune. Great vocals, just the right amount of production, perfect genre country-western crooning. These guys can really pull off some excellent stuff when they want to! This is the lighthearted approach that (unlike 'Something Cool') really does work well.'You'll Find Me' hmmm... not bad... a bit whiny, not bad... nothing gained nothing lost... much of this material falls outside what many would consider "country music"... but this is what makes Diamond Rio so great. They are not staying within "the Box" (ugh!) of country music... and this is a good characteristic of any successful band...As has been stated "Rural Philharmonic" works perfectly... a great break and very cool. Instrumentally, it could very well fit into the soundtrack of a great western epic. Fun, full of depth and complexity, (instrumental and choral)... a piece composed of several "parts" to come together as a fine instrumental country-groove-bluegrass-orchestral exhibition. This is quite possibly the most musically exceptional component of this CD. "Make Sure You've Got It All" is a fine way to close out the CD. A more convential contemporary country sound, akin to a (not so nasal) Randy Travis sound... A good way to wind down the momentum of the CD's second half. Good song writing, mandolin playing and production value.Sure, this CD has it's flaws, but there's no question i will now explore more of Diamond Rio's catalog, and thats a good indicator of the overall quality of this release.
ENJOY!"

WELL WORTH THE MONEY

04/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The radio stations in the Atlanta area have just begun to play "I Believe", and I give 5 stars on that song alone. I have not yet bought the CD, but I plan to as soon as possible. In my opinion, "I Believe" and "Beautiful Mess" make the CD well worth the price. I can't wait to hear the rest of it."

Instrumentals and Vocals Shine On This One

thelonegunmanblf | Spokane, WA | 02/09/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As we've come to expect, Diamond Rio delievers some tight harmonies and amazing instrumentals on their latest album, "Completely." I think they would have been better served to find some better material to sing and play. "Beautiful Mess" is definitely the pinnacle of this CD, while "I Believe" is a decent yearning ballad. The rest of the songs seem to be more filler than anything. The band's harmonies can make up for some of it, but if you want a great Diamond Rio CD I would reccomend "IV" or "Greatest Hits.""