The Chase

Customer Reviews:

• The Warning is Out: People of the world heed my call, Garth Brooks must be stopped. With his undisputed charm and his dashing good looks he has taken the world by storm, and has no intention of ceasing until he has seized it all. I must use this review to try to remain low profile while at the same time rallying those who are with me. Be forewarned though, if Garth Brooks gets wind of the uprise, he will strike down upon it with untold force. Garth Brooks is not of this world, and his intelligence, prowess, and fighting skill are beyond compare. He is proficient in fighting styles of 6 of the 7 continents of this world, including the death defying Antarctic Attack. In 1536 Garth Brooks was first introduced into the world as a plague overcoming the people Chile, and soon passed through many of the South American Nations. While cloaking themselves in black over their fallen comrades the natives of the continent tried to defeat the reputable force, only to be dismembered one by one as Garth Brooks seemed to be enjoying the havoc he has brought. After the complete destruction over the land, Garth Brooks laid dormant for over 4 centuries, plotting and keening his killing skills. It was not until recently that his personal battle sparked back up, and no one is sure why this point in time was chosen, but one factor is certain; the human race stands no chance. At first, I was under the impression that with the advances in weapons technologies, defense against the Brooks behemoth could be reached, but the wishful thinking was washed away as the mayhem ensued. Garth Brooks has also achieved levels of power that he alone was unaware of. His abilities grew to the extent that his form was unable to harness his true power without self destructing. As a result, Garth Brooks split himself into a second form to aid him in his battle against all. This second form is known only as Chris Gaines, and little is known as to which powers occupy his being and which powers were left in the original host.
  
  So now I ask again, join me before it is too late. Fight the urges to rock out to him authentic country style and his undeniably unique originality. If nothing is done, it is only time before a third Garth Brooks emerges, and then we are only one Brooks away from the four Garth-men of the apocalypse.
• "WE SHALL BE FREE" GARTH LOVED FOR HIS INTEGRITY/CHARACTER: "THIS AIN'T COMIN' FROM NO PROPHET, JUST AN ORDINARY MAN. WHEN I CLOSE MY EYES, I SEE THE WAY THIS WORLD SHALL BE WHEN WE ALL WALK HAND IN HAND.
  WHEN THE LAST CHILD CRIES FOR A CRUST OF BREAD, WHEN THE LAST MAN DIES FOR JUST WORDS THAT HE SAID, WHEN THERE'S SHELTER OVER THE POOREST HEAD, WE SHALL BE FREE.

  WHEN THE LAST THING WE NOTICE IS THE COLOR OF THE SKIN AND THE FIRST THING WE LOOK FOR IS THE BEAUTY WITHIN, WHEN THE SKIES AND OCEANS ARE CLEAN AGAIN, THEN WE SHALL BE FREE.

  **WHEN WE'RE FREE TO LOVE ANYONE WE CHOOSE** WHEN THIS WORLDS BIG ENOUGH FOR ALL DIFFERENT VIEWS, WHEN WE CAN ALL WORSHIP FOR OUR OWN KIND OF PEW, THEN WE SHALL BE FREE. AND WHEN MONEY TALKS FOR THE VERY LAST TIME, AND NOBODY WALKS A STEP BEHIND, WHEN THERE'S ONLY ONE RACE AND THATS MANKIND, WE SHALL BE FREE, STAND STRAIGHT, HAVE A LITTLE FAITH"

  FREEDOM IS JUST A BREATH AND STEP FROM HERE TO THERE-WE WILL BE FREE, OUR COLLECTIVE RESOLVE AND STRENGTH IS FORMED FROM WHEAT TO TRACTOR STEEL, TO LARAMIE PEAK OFF TO THE WEST, WE SHALL BE FREE, GARTH HAS HELPED SET US FREE:-)

• God Bless Garth: If The Dance, The River and other songs weren't enough to prove Garth's amazing range to you, he adds to it with "We Shall Be Free". Of course it created "controversy" among the no-nothings that want Garth to be some kind of George Jones clone. Yo, people, like all things, country music will grow and change. Embrace it, because it is wonderful in this case. It's interesting that all people can say about "We Shall Be Free" is that it's anti-homophobic. Why, yes, it is. It is also anti-racist, pro-freedom of religion, pro-environment, pro-free speech, anti-poverty and all Garth. I'm proud to have country music begin to reflect all that is best about America and her people. It's time the hateful few stopped being able to control the flow of such a powerful American tradition as country music. We shall be free!
• "The Chase" Might Have Better Been Named "The Change": As my reviews of his albums are an on-going look back from his first album to his most recent, I must begin by saying that, at least for me, "The Chase" was the album where Garth first began to show that his commercial marketing and familiar styling were replacing his genuineness.

  By the time "The Chase" was released, Garth was firmly established as an artist. There was to be no question of his greatness, and certainly, no doubt of the success of this album. Perhaps in a need to maintain his momentum and his growth, or perhaps simply to continue to appeal to his massive and ever-growing audience, Garth released an album that seemed very calculated and, stylistically predictable.

  "The Chase" is not a bad album at all...far from it, and by the standards of albums in release today, it is a great album. It contains all the elements of a marketable record and features some really great material. The problem is, Garth's early material was so strong, this album had impossibly large shoes to fill and, as a result, maybe fell a little short of the expectations of the audience it intended to reach.

  "We Shall Be Free", the first track on the album, an edgy, powerful gospel-rock-ballad, is very well conceived, though it never received the attention it deserved. The song, which states that "we shall be free" when we dismiss prejudice and discrimination, is genuinely powerful, but it was also a little preachy, possibly turning off listeners whos opinions didn't match Garth's.

  This album, like others also introduced us to a remake of several classic songs. "Dixie Chicken" was given a refreshing update, again blending the stylings of country with a blend of blues/gospel sound that make it poignant and enjoyable. Garth's reworking of "Walking After Midnight" however leaves something to be desired. It is good, but Patsy Cline gave the song such an absolute sound that this arrangement seems to fall a little short of the mark.

  Unlike its predecessors, this album runs a little short on solid singles. The likable "That Summer" is a solid song, but uses the stylings for which Garth was becoming increasingly more recognized by, and results in sounding like a clone of some of his earlier work, instead of simply standing on its own.

  The pieces that work best on this album are the ones that went unrecognized by country radio. "Somewhere Other Than the Night" is beautiful, and like much of Garth's material, is not a traditional love song, but instead a reflection on the need for love to extend beyond the physical, and really impact each of us moment by moment.

  Perhaps the strongest piece on the album is "Night Rider's Lament", a delightful song about a man's quest to live out his life as a cowboy in the west after giving up the comforts of his life back in the city. The song is bold, and Garth takes a risk with it by yodelling the final portion of the song in the stylings of the old country-western singers. The result is delightful, and a nod-of-the-hat to country music fans of yesteryear.

  Although this album does not, in my opinion, equal the strengths of his earlier efforts, it is a great album, full of some really great musical moments. It is well worth the time and the price of the CD, despite being a slightly weaker album than "Ropin the Wind", "No Fences" and his debut album, "Garth Brooks". It is still classic Garth-and so you can't go wrong here.

• Not his best but still worth a listen: This album certainly isn't one of Brook's best, but as with all of his albums it manages to throw up some excellent moments. Released in 1992, it saw Brooks deviating further still from tradtional country, with the overall sound of the album being a lot more slick and pop-orientated than his previous efforts.

  The highlights of this album include the opening 'We Shall Be Free', a gospel-tinged anthemn calling for world peace containing some memorable and moving lyrics. 'Somewhere Other Than The Night' is another of Garth's emotional power ballads. 'Every Now And Then' is one of the lesser known tracks but is still on a par with any other song on this album, another moving ballad reminincsing of a former lover.
  A rock inspired cover of 'Dixie Chicken' is one of the more humorous moments.
  My personal favourite by far however, is 'Night Riders Lament', a cowboy tale that finishes with some fine yodeling from Garth. A truly traditional gem that proves Garth is at his best when he sticks to country.