Thanks to a chance audition on American Idol, and an impressive win, Carrie Underwood was able to record countless hit country songs and build a music empire worth $140 million. Over the years, she’s released a ton of music, including a gospel album, and always kept fans coming back for more. As she segued into different genres, fans tried their best to keep up.
And fans have, historically, read into Carrie’s lyrics a lot. Many praised her for weaving a story throughout her songs and albums, appreciating the effort she seemed to put into creating rocking hits. They may have been reaching too far for underlying meaning, of course, but it was the thrill of hearing a new favorite song, then deciphering what it meant (or what it might mean). But now? Even Carrie’s most ardent supporters aren’t so sure she’s really applying herself to her craft.
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Fans have some criticisms of Carrie Underwood, but no one’s arguing that she doesn’t have a good voice. In fact, even as they bashed her, self-proclaimed fans stated she has “one of the greatest voices.”
Their praise spans multiple albums, too; one fan noted, “Her older music has some great storytelling elements to it. Her gospel album is also amazing.”
Though not everyone’s happy about Carrie diving into other genres of music like rock and pop (more on that later), she doesn’t seem to have a problem switching things up.
Of course, some fans still say they love her original music the best. One said, “The OG idol winner debut albums were always amazing they got them the best songwriters available!!”
“IMO “Blown Away” is peak Carrie Underwood.,” one stated simply.
And yet, as much as fans love Underwood, criticism was soon to follow.
Some Say Carrie Is Wasting Her Voice
In a “hot take” that might be more relatable than fans previously thought, one Carrie fan wrote on Reddit that the songstress’ voice is “being wasted on very subpar songs.”
That “ouch” moment gained traction with other fans who seemed to wholeheartedly agree that Carrie could do better.
A critic wrote, “Incredible voice, very one-dimensional musically.”
What’s interesting is that Carrie has, arguably, blurred boundaries between pop and country, among other genres. She does seem to enjoy changing things up. But fans don’t think it’s enough.
In what constitutes a severe burn, especially given Carrie’s very physical performance at the 2022 AMAs, one comment summed up, “A superb voice but churning out corporate produced in a boardroom to maximize profit pop, it’s really sad and not like she needs the money at this point in her career.”
Even followers on Carrie’s Instagram commented to bash her for various things, including ‘imitating P!nk’ with her aerial performance and doing “too much… too pop.”
One follower even wrote, “They have got her doing stupid stuff now.”
Back on that Reddit thread/critique, multiple commenters compared Carrie to Miranda Lambert, someone they thought had a “good but not great voice” yet knows how to be “radio relevant” and cater to fans.
Fans have also compared Carrie to fellow Idol winner Kelly Clarkson. Though they both won different seasons of American Idol, some even suggest that Underwood can’t compare to Kelly Clarkson today—or ever.
