Carrie Underwood is busy this week going on dates with Chace Crawford and releasing her new album, Carnival Ride.

Below, USA Today reviews various song on the album. You can read more about it at the newspaper's American Idol blog.

Flat on the Floor: Great start. This is a modal-sounding banjo-driven country-folk tune, and Carrie's vocal is really aggressive, with a desperate edge to it, more so than anything previous. She's not cuddly Carrie any more on this one.

All-American Girl: Sentimental tale of a guy who's got his mind set on his first child being a boy, but gets a daughter instead and is immediately captivated by her. Years later, the same is said abot the high school football star who ends up marrying her and winds up telling her that when it's time for their first child, he wants an All-American girl just like his wife. Carrie co-wrote it.

So Small: First single is a power ballad displaying Nashville craftsmanship at its finest, with a chance to soar for Carrie. You may have heard it on the radio already.

Just a Dream: Ballad about a widow mourning the loss of her soldier husband. Heartfelt, but a little heavy on the sentiment and a less-than-standout song musically.

Get Out of This Town: Upbeat ditty about the need to escape; not much depth or musical distinctiveness.

Crazy Dreams: Another song co-written by Carrie - and it's perfect for her, a salute to all the "hairbrush singers and dashboard drummers" and showbiz wannabes that carries a lot more conviction coming from one of their own who actually made it.

I Know You Won't: Slushy ballad, although well-sung.

Last Name: The Before He Cheats of this album, as Carrie takes on a persona totally foreign to her nature: that of a girl who gets so blitzed that she elopes with a stranger and gets a quickie Vegas marriage, all without learning the dude's last name. She co-wrote this one, too.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.