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After the Dance
Ronna Reeves
A CD Review |
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I started listening to Ronna Reeves about three or
four years ago. I was working retail, we had the radio on (I had it
set to a country station much to the distaste of my co-worker) and I
first heard a Ronna song. That was off of "The More I
Learn", her 2nd CD effort. Then, came her 3rd CD effort,
"What Comes Naturally." I like this CD even more and
thought maybe this will put her over the edge. I even saw her live
(great show) at an Arlington Heights, IL. festival. Then I waited,
and waited, and waited. What happened to Ronna? I waited some more.
Well, finally, I heard some new news about what she was up to,
and I found out she jumped ship from her old record company to River
North and she was working on a new album. Then she was working, and
working, and working, and finally there was a release date for the
CD, and another release date, and another. Then the CD was released,
and a single was expected soon, and expected soon, and expected
soon. Finally, the single was released today, April 22nd, here as I
write this review of her CD which actually hit the store shelves
months ago. Maybe the marketing folks at River North are trying the
opposite of what Garth did with his latest CD. He threw out a single
months before the CD was to be released, then had the CD hit the
shelves right before Christmas under stiff competition from a
variety of others, and then saw his CD rise instantly, but then fall
like a rock from the top ten. I think they are hoping just the
opposite happens with Ronna, and I hope it works for her because she
deserves the recognition she really hasn't achieved.
Ronna Reeve's latest CD is called After the Dance. After, in this
case, is a good way to describe it, well, at least in the release
time frame. After months and months and months, her CD is here. And
it's not bad.
Now, I love Ronna, have since I first heard her voice that first
time selling things. I have all of her CD's (there are three
others), and like "After the Dance" as much, almost, as
most the others.
The CD is your typical country mix of a few up-beatable type
tunes, and a few "I miss him" type tunes. All in all, a
fairly decent mix of both, but as much as I like the CD as a whole,
nothing on the CD reaches out, grabs me, and makes me want to listen
to it over and over. I really wish there was, the fan that I am, but
there isn't.
Ronna enlists the songwriting talents of Diane Warren, Neal Coty,
and Randy Vanwarmer to name a few. She even tries her hand at
songwriting, in collaboration with Jimmy Grubbs on a decent song
called "One Way Ticket." On the CD, I would say the the
strongest songs are the slower, ballad type songs. "Collect
From Wichita" has some single potential, as does "Next
Train Out." What the album lacks, however, is that one catchy
song needed to propel an artist to the next level.
Of those type songs, I think Rodeo Man is pretty cool too, and
you can maybe even can dance to it, but of everything on the CD, it
seems River North is releasing the one song I really didn't care for
- "My Heart Wasn't In It." It's not your typical love-type
song, and I'd probably give it a five but you can't really dance to
it. Maybe that's going along with their marketing strategy of
starting slow and trying to build up momentum on the CD. We'll just
have to wait and see if it works.
Well, as much as I love Ronna Reeves, think she has one of the
best voices on radio (and live), and admire her determination, I
still have to remain objective. I don't think that "After the
Dance" is her best material, and as much as I hope I'm wrong, I
don't see this as the CD that will put her into the number of elite
country ladies who are taking the country by storm every day. I
really hope I'm wrong - have I said that enough. I think her chance
came on "What Comes Naturally," but her management and/or
record company, whomever fault it was, missed the boat, were late
for the plane, were caught in traffic, kicked the ball wide and to
the right, or forgot to eat a healthy breakfast. In other words,
they just plain missed the opportunity. This would have been a good
follow-up record for legions of fans, but unfortunately most of her
would-be fans have never heard of her, and without the one solid
single off of After the Dance, they still won't know what a talent
they are missing. At least a few of us do.
In the end, "After the Dance" just misses, at least for
me. It's a good effort by a great talent, and I would recommend
picking it up, but even though I rushed out to buy it right away,
the big fan that I am (yes, I've had this CD for months), in the end
it could have waited a little while. Oh well. Good luck Ronna, your
time is near - I wish it was now. I give "After the Dance"
a 70% on the Entertainment Ave! Listenability Scale. |
