Thursday, August 12, 2010

Videography: Reba McEntire (Part VI - The 10's)

Reba has entered her fifth decade as a recording artist and her fourth as purveyor of country music videos. Although we're at the very beginning, I plan on updating over the next ten years how Reba's videos continue to grow and change.
 

Order:
42
Title: "I Keep On Loving You"
Album: Keep On Loving You (2010)
Song Premise: A woman sings of her undying love for her husband despite all the fights and hard times.
Video Premise: Reba is the guest at a wedding where she witnesses several couples from different generations in love with one another.

Comments: I like this video a lot. Yes, it is very schmaltzy but I love how it shows several different couples in different situations: the old couple, the parents of the bride, a couple with young children, the bride and groom, and children. My one complaint concerns how little Reba is the main character in her videos anymore. She makes herself an extra. Don't get me wrong, sometimes that's cool. But it seems she could be a little more involved.

Order: 43
Title: "If I Were a Boy"
Album: All the Women I Am (2010)
Song Premise: A woman sings about how her life would be different if she acted like a boy.
Video Premise: A live stage performance.


Comments: This video was taken from CMT: Unplugged and really, technically isn't a video. But Reba's version of Beyonce's song is so good I understand why they released it. I really hope a cover goes on the next upcoming album, because I really like the rendition. P.S. Beyonce's video for "If I Were a Boy" is really good and actually quite Reba-esque. I recommend it.


Order: 44
Title: "Turn on the Radio"
Album: All the Women I Am (2010)
Song Premise: A man who has treated a woman badly can now only get close to her if he listens to her singing on the radio.
Video Premise: Reba, dressed incognito, goes to a building at night. She sets up a lot of old stereos and sings to a man (presumably her ex) in a chair. She taunts him and ties him up with the microphone cord. The video ends with Reba walking away and texting him: "You can turn on the radio!"


Comments: This was a boring video. Seriously, nothing happens. She sings. He listens. However, it was nice to Reba as the heroine of her own video instead of being a narrator/observer.



Order: 45
Title: "If I Were a Boy"
Album: All the Women I Am (2010)
Song Premise: A woman sings about how her life would be different if she acted like a boy.
Video Premise: Reba, dressed in a gorgeous green dress walks around an empty mansion.

Comments: It's not really an improvement over the live stage performance video. The whole thing is centered around a dress, a beautiful dress, but still...it's a video about a dress.



Order: 46
Title: "Somebody's Chelsea"
Album: All the Women I Am (2010)
Song Premise: A woman meets an old man on a plane who talks about his loving wife Chelsea.
Video Premise: Reba meets an old man on a plane (Ed Asner) who talks about his loving wife Chelsea. Intercut with Reba singing in a classy bar watching couples and scratchy footage of young old man and Chelsea. In the end, Reba meets a nice man and they share a drink.

Comments: Literal translation that meets every lyrical moment. Although I can't help but wonder why anyone would go to a bar by themself, even if it works out in the end. Sketch.

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