Carnival Ride - CARRIE UNDERWOOD

After a debut album that sold 6 million-plus copies, Carrie Underwood is under significant pressure to keep the momentum going. Luckily, the Oklahoman delivers in spades on her sophomore effort, on which she was much more involved in the creative process. First single "So Small," No. 4 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, is a soaring song about the important things in life. "Just a Dream" is the tale of the death of a young soldier from the perspective of his girl back home, while "Last Name," about a drunken flirtation that turns into a Vegas marriage, is a fun diversion. Underwood provides a growling and gritty vocal on the defiant "Flat on the Floor" and convincingly covers Randy Travis' 1988 hit "I Told You So," which has long deserved a second life. If only every follow-up was this good. —Ken Tucker