From the start of his recording career, Brooks has shown us that his range of influence spans beyond traditional country. Garth's composition "Thicker Than Blood" is a tribute to familial devotion that takes on a global importance in light of the the September 11 tragedy. It recalls vintage James Taylor, while the first single, "Wrapped Up in You," has a Paul McCartney meets the Kingston Trio feel to it, and "Mr. Midnight" seemingly crosses Billy Joel with Harry Chapin.

After the bland Chris Gaines' CD, it is nice to hear Brooks cut loose on a set of uptempo tunes that create a little ruckus. He sounds delighted to be in the presence of his hero George Jones on the duet "Beer Run" while "Squeeze Me In" finds him whooping it up with Trisha Yearwood. "Big Money" and "Rodeo or Mexico" are particularly fun, while his bluegrass rendition of America's "Don't Cross the River" is a rootsy gem.

Emotions run the gamut on this album, from the optimistic love song "Why Ain't I Running" to the pessimistic "The Storm." "When You Come Back to Me," which Brooks recorded for the film Frequency, hits home with its theme of reconnecting with a loved one, while "Pushing Up Daisies" takes a chilling look at Brooks' father's disconnection with life since his wife's (Garth's mother's) death last year.

It all combines for a well-balanced package, sometimes fun, sometimes moving, and usually substantial. If it is Garth's last release (don't hold your breathe on that one), this was a great swan song.

12 of 15 found the following review helpful:


A Pleasing Return From the King of Country  Nov 14, 2001 By B. E. Nickerson "BTVN1827"
After that Gaines nonsense, Garth has made a triumphant and very pleasing return to what he does best. The album opens with possibly one of his best songs....ahhh....GARTH HAS RETURN TO US ALL!!! The album's first single, "Wrapped Up In You" not one of the album's best songs, but far from a dud. Of course, Garth's #1 girl, Trisha Yearwood, returns for yet another amazing duet, but this time it's not a ballad!! It's a great upbeat song about trying to not to loose the loved one. Even the legendary George Jones sides with Brooks for a great, yet typical, country song called Beer Run. A moving and haunting piece called "The Storm" could have easily been a b-side of "The Thunder Rolls" discussing the mental power of mother-nature. "Rodeo or Mexico" reminded me of Jo Dee Messina's classic, "Heads Carolina, Tails California" and the CD could not have been complete without the breathless, priceless ballad from the Frequency Sndtrk. "When You Come Back To Me Again."
The easiest way to categorize this album is the a little heavier than "Sevens", a similiar sound as "In Pieces" with the power and attraction of "Double Live" Overall....a great CD with a promise of assurance that Garth is the undefeatable king!

9 of 11 found the following review helpful:


Excellent conclusion to a superb career!  Nov 14, 2001 By Lance Miller
First I must say that yes I am biased, Garth is my favorite artist, and my hero. That's why I was dreading the release of this his final cd.
After his divorce I expected a collection of dark, moody, brooding songs. I then heard him say that he thought he finally made a happy album. He did! The one exception being a song entitled The Storm, which is about a woman dealing with the aftermath of...what else...a divorce.
The rest of the songs while some are the ballads that he is best known for, they never go into the heartbreaking territory of some of his older hits such as say, Somewhere Other Than The Night or even The Dance. The remainder of the disc is what can only be described as a goodbye letter to the most hardcore loyal of his fans (me included in this category) with little lyrics thrown in here and there that touch on subjects in his personal life that only the most ardent fan would grasp outside their respective songs.
The disc itself is a mixture of his first Self Titled cd and Fresh Horses. While I hate to see him go, I'm glad he's leaving with a bang and not a whimper. So in trbiute to my hero, I'm gonna' go to my local AHBA, grab Two Pina Colada's and listen to Scarecrow and celebrate a wonderful man and a great career!

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:


A Decade-long Rut  Nov 24, 2001
Well, actually I give it 2 1/2 stars, maybe 3. When I heard that Garth Brooks was coming back with a new album I thought he'd put together something deep, something exciting. Mr. Brooks was part of a wave of unique and talented country artists(Randy Travis, Dwight Yoakam, Patty Loveless, etc.)to come along and save the genre in the late 80's. In the long run, he's probably hurt the genre more than he's helped it. Mr. Brooks has the talent and he's definitely in the position where he could put the flavor and excitement back into country music. Instead, 'Scarecrow' sounds too much like every album he's put out since 'No Fences'. The songs are just too overproduced, 'too forced' as another reviewer on here said. The way the songs are arranged and produced...it just takes the creativity and energy out of them. Brooks has also become less and less involved in the songwriting of his material. Overall, I'd say about half the songs on here hold up well, but the other half are totally flat. I also didn't think there was a single song that jumps out as a Garth Brooks classic. I wish Mr. Brooks would do a more stripped down album, a more rootsy, acoustically driven type of album. I'm sure Scarecrow will sell well, but if this is all Brooks can offer, then its going to take something else to put the soul and the identity back into country music.

See all 150 customer reviews on Amazon.com