When It Comes to Faith Hill, I Gotta Have Faith
Today I am enjoying Faith Hill's Faith, which I consider her finest musical moment. The melodies are killer, the lyrics are meaningful and she sings circles around just about anybody. The album kicks off with "This Kiss," but I usually skip that song (since I've heard it so many times already) and dig into "You Give Me Love" -- unless I go straight for "Let Me Let Go" with Vince Gill on harmony. To me, that particular performance represents Faith Hill at her most evocative. There's a quiet desperation in her vocal that convinces you that she really is stuck. In this era of burning down trailers and swinging Louisville Sluggers, I sure do miss those vulnerable songs, where the brokenhearted person doesn't quite know what to do next.
A few years ago I was fortunate to see Faith Hill on the Soul2Soul tour, and I have never been more caught off-guard by a performer. I mean, I already knew she could deliver after seeing her at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas in 2004, but that night in Nashville, she practically blew the doors off. I guess you don't get invited to the Super Bowl if you can't carry a tune, but still. ... Wow.... I only wish I'd been able to catch one of her concerts when Faith was new, back in 1998, in hopes of hearing her belt out "I Love You," "The Hard Way" or "Somebody Stand by Me."
Remember when she stormed into the pop world with "Breathe"? Suddenly she was everywhere. Since then, the spotlight hasn't always been kind ("What?!?!?"), and I haven't always understood her musical choices, but when it comes to her career catalog, you gotta have Faith.
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Julie says:
I have to agree with everything you just said. Faith is awesome on the albums but to see her in person is unbelievable! What an entertainer. There is something about her personality that makes me smile. That would be one of my wishes, to meet her.
Roy says:
I have to agree with what everyone says about Faith Hill’s live shows ,they arre among the best in country music.
Roy says:
I have to agree with what everyone says about Faith Hill’s live shows , they are among the best in country music.
Jackie says:
Her Mississippi Girl CD is also awesome. The vocals are very emotional. I think she has gotten better with age.
Lisa says:
I agree, Faith is great but when you see her live she is in just one word AMAZING! Her vocals, etc can blow just about any other artist out of the water!
phelana says:
I have been a Faith fan from the beginning and always loved the gospel type songs she added to her albums like “keep walking on”, “Stand by me” , “Stronger than that” and “There will come a day”. They really are a true sign of her roots and faith..
Bret says:
I saw her in the mid 90’s at a club in San Antonio,TX and she floored me with her range in her vocals. She’s beautiful, inside and out. I love her playful attitude with the crowds. If you leave a Faith show without a smile, than you better go see a doctor, something is wrong with you. She’s a great singer and entertainer. I imagine that she’s a fantastic mother to her 3 girls. I would love to meet her and Tim and see their interaction with the children.
Angela says:
You are spot on with your review of the “Faith” album. That album has a great array of songs, and Faith’s performances have a lot of depth and versatility. “Let Me Let Go” is a particularly incredible song.
To me, “Faith” seemed like a more vulnerable, more authentic Faith Hill than the one we’ve heard on subsequent hits. While the production values are high on “Breathe” and other songs, the emotional depth and connection to the lyric just isn’t as powerful.
Julie says:
Another favorite Faith song is “Just to hear you say that you love me” That song is soooo sexy. Seeing Faith & Tim on the video for that song is amazing.
CjJ says:
Lori you are so wrong. Everyone knows and even if people don’t like Faith they have to admit she has an awesome voice. God given just like Martina and Carrie and Trisha.
Sean says:
Just To Hear You Say That You Love Me is my favorite Faith Hill song. There You’ll Be is #2 I’ve seen Faith live three times and she was wonderful every time.
Morgan says:
Again if you have seen Faith Hill more than 3 times, you will say that. I saw her once and I will never ever see her or spend money on her again.
RedMaZ says:
Took some time to check out Faith Hill. I just don’t like this type of “Country” music…as it were. I find it boring, tedious, pieced together and overproduced. It’s just not believable. That being said, I’m sure it does well in the Pop music industry, and with Pop Music fans.
EVE DELL says:
TOTALLY AGREE WITH LISA AND CRAIG SHELBOURNE ON FAITH, WE HAVE ALSO SEEN SEVERAL SOUL TO SOUL ‘O6 -O7 OF FAITH AND TIM PLUS THE EARLY ‘O8 PERFORMANCES FOR HABITAT FOR HUMANITY IN NASHVILLE. FAITH”S VOCALS AND PERFORMANCE ARE INCREDIBLY AMAZING … BEYOND INFINITY!!!AND ALSO OF TIM BUT FAITH IS OUR SUBJECT HERE. THANKS CMT FOR THE COVERAGE OF THE LATEST SUPER BOWL… FAITH AND TIM’S PICTURES ARE ENDEARING YES WE ‘CAN FEEL THE LOVE’..CMT…VIVIDLY CLEAR!EVE AND FRIENDS FROM IN.
star says:
the subject is faith and love her, but someone put carrie’s name with faith’s and carrie is not in faith’s league! faith hill is a much better singer entertainer and role model by far!!!!!!!love tim to!!!!
Tanya says:
I was just listening to “Let Me Let Go” and I was thinking the same thing. Faith has a wide rage on vocals and while some might hit higher notes it’s the way she sings that song with the emotions that you don’t always get from singers. You can feel the pain in her voice as she sings these songs like “My Wild Frontier” or Love Ain’t Like that”. You can hear pure Joy in “This Kiss” “ME” That’s all I have to be” and true love in “Just to Hear You say that you love me” and I love you. You can hear her outcry in the Gosple song of “Somebody stand by me”.
It takes a lot more of a singer to sing the emotions of a song then just belting out a High note here or there. Nothing wrong with that either..just saying.
Faith you’re Amazing!