Storyteller

<i>Storyteller</i> marks 10 years since Carrie Underwood left <i>American Idol</i> with a recording contract and a Mustang convertible—a journey that transformed her from TV-show contestant into country royalty. Led by the rebellious anthem “Smoke Break”, the album deftly toes the line between crossover material (“Chaser”) and Nashville traditions (“The Girl You Think I Am”), with special weight given to the five-handkerchief ballads that have always been Underwood’s calling card—made all the more bittersweet by her newfound life as wife and mother.