Weekend Tunage: Tiffany & Carrie

A twofer dose of "Friday Crush." In this case, two singers doing the same song. I remember when I finally broke down and got the entire catalog of Tiffany music (don't laugh). It was after the folks at Rhino Records released her greatest hits and she was trying to make a comeback in country. Again ... don't laugh. I've got a copy of some demo tracks somewhere and they're awesome. Anyways, this song always stood out for me as her best. No apologies if you happen to find it too cheesy.

I also recall the date, time, place, and situation of where I caught Carrie on American Idol. By the time she got to the first chorus, I knew she was either going to win the competition or that youth was truly wasted on the young and text-enabled. I think Carrie's version is a bit stronger, actually. And I'm not the least bit pleased that she's not recorded a new version of it.

On something of a Carrie Underwood-related sidenote, the second album is phenomenal. A month-old news clip offers one clue why I might think that ...

Producer Mark Bright, who handled half the duties on the first album, including all the singles, packs a lot more instrumentation into a far bigger sound this time around. Frenzied strings abound, which Underwood's manager, "Idol" creator Simon Fuller, defends as providing the sophistication needed to match Underwood's development as an artist.

The production, Fuller offers, is "just more tailored. It's the difference between buying a dress off the rack or having one made especially for you. The second album feels like it's just been made carefully for Carrie right now." He added that with her hands-on approach, she seemed to be "enjoying becoming an artist" with "Carnival Ride."

The other producer on the first album is one of my favorites: Dann Huff. The guy does a lot of country and heavy metal and I still marvel at his musicianship as a session guitarist in the 80s. But the production style seems a better fit for Carrie this time around and her vocals don't get as washed out in a technologically-enhanced chorus. The girl's got a strong voice ... and this time around it shines a bit more. The instrumental touches are also - literally - music to my ears. For a visual example of her latest hit, try this on for size.