Reba McEntire doesn’t always write a lot of songs, but that doesn’t mean that the songs that she records don’t reflect her life to some extent. For example, she has mentioned in interviews that her For My Broken Heart album, which was released in 1991, reflects the sadness she felt after her band was killed in a plane crash.
When you are a celebrity, you don’t get the luxury of privacy. McEntire divorced Narvel Blackstock a few years ago. It feels like it was partially influenced by that period in her life. McEntire teased last year that the new album might be the most country album she has made to date in her career. She definitely kept that promise. I haven’t heard anything this country since I listened to George Strait’s new album last week. While there is some traditional sounding country music out there, it has been mostly absent from mainstream country radio for a while now. Stronger Than The Truth is an album that could have been released 30 years ago.
Heartbreak has been a cornerstone of country music for years. There’s plenty of that to go around on this album. “Tammy Wynette Kind of Pain” and “The Clown” are two classic break-ups songs.
Another type of country songs that I love are story songs. “Cactus in a Coffee Can” isn’t a break-up song, but it is a heart-wrenching story song with great imagery. I can’t help but think McEntire might one day turn the song into a movie.
Rick Amburgey is an experienced journalist and country music fan. He can be contacted at @ViewsCountry.