How can one define what real tragedy is or better yet, how can one person put true sorrow into words? It takes not only an amazing vocal ability but also true style and depth to communicate such deep and personal emotions and Reba McEnitre does this in a heartbeat. Recorded as an act of therapy after the death of her beloved band, a listener can hear the true feelings of sorrow and depression as Reba belts out songs that deal with the two major themes of life; death and love. Though hard hitting and sad, "For My Broken Heart" is also Reba's celebration of her talent and survivor strength; though she was hurting she tries desperately to comfort others and does so very well. While some singers tend to avoid putting their true emotions into their songs, Reba saw this album as the ultimate chance to grieve her lost loved ones as well as enhance her vocal abilities with new material.

The standout elements of this album besides Reba's wonderfully heartfelt voice, is the unique and touching collection of songs that continuously highlight Reba's "soaring soprano." Her rendition of the classic song, "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia" is an angry and powerful song dealing with the primal emotions of jealousy and hate and yet she is also able to pull of "Is There Life Out There" which is much lighter in sound and lyrics but still deals with a powerful issue ~ a woman's place in the world. Fans and admires of Reba will notice that at this point in her career, Reba has become extremely comfortable with both her image and her sound and is therefore able to choose a broad range of music that reflects all kinds of heart break. With her earlier albums, Reba tended to stay within the bounds of typical country music by focusing on lost love and lovers, but "For My Broken Heart" is one Reba album that follows a distinct and emotional pattern as she and the listener both deal with tragedy.

Besides being vocally strong and commanding, Reba struts her writing talent with the heartfelt and terribly touching song "Bobby"; dealing with the still controversial idea of assisted suicide of love one and its impact on families and children. I was struck with the haunting quality of the melody which borrows on the country standard on a single guitar meant to act as extension of the singer's emotional being; the lyrics are extremely touching and if one listens closely one can clearly hear Reba stumbling over her own emotions toward this issue. The powerful influences of family and those ties are expressed in four songs on the ten song album and each one continually makes no pretense of being happy or cheery, these songs are tough and are Reba's method of battling out both her grief as well as her dreams. A passionate woman and consummate professional, Reba is able to grab her listeners on both a vocal and emotional level.

Being a classic Reba album, there is of course one particular song that captures the mood of both the album as well as its singer and in this case, it is the title cut "For My Broken Heart." Its a beautiful love song with a rather sad undertone of depression as Reba sings out the emotions one woman feels as the love of her life leaves her; she is left to deal with emotions of such a separation. It was a new addition to the Reba's list of ballads but has now become a staple, "For My Broken Heart" is a modern classic that deals with modern relationships and focuses on everyone's inability to deal with what they have lost. The melody is low key and meant to reflect a sad mood, as this was the ultimate song to remember the lost band members, and the most single most powerful thing about this song is its last line: "I guess the world ain't gonna stop for my broken heart".

Sadness in music can be bought a dime a dozen by any singer, but it takes a true performer and talent to bring out the darker sides of a human heart and Reba does this brilliantly. As with all her albums, Reba wants her listeners to feel rather than think and with this album, she wants you to mourn along with her for her lost loves as well as for your own. This is classic Reba and one that expresses something so rarely seen in any form of music these days~ life is tough and its hurts but it is better to live rather than give in to death. Found in the liner notes of this album, is a short message from Reba and to end this review I would like to quote the last line: " If for any reason you can relate to the emotion packed inside these songs, I hope it's a form of healing for all our broken hearts."








Recommended: Yes