Most contemporary female country singers start out on the traditional side, then grow increasingly pop as they become more successful. Carrie Underwood reverses that trend on her second album, "Carnival Ride."

After the six-million-selling "Some Hearts," where the "American Idol" champ sparked arguments about whether she was country or pop, her second album goes out of its way to prove she's as down home as any of her Nashville peers.

On songs like "All-American Girl" and "Crazy Dreams," Underwood presents a rootsier, more organic sound that highlights her middle-American, girl-next-door personality. Moreover, her second album shows growth in how Underwood brandishes her powerful voice. Showing more sensitivity in her range and in interpreting lyrics, the 24-year-old Oklahoman sings with a control that makes her uplifting voice even more effective.

Underwood co-writes four of her new tunes, although working with Nashville pros, it's hard to detect how big of a role she plays in crafting the lyrics or melodies. The songs range from the album's first hit, "So Small," a song with as direct a religious message as her previous album's "Jesus, Take the Wheel," to the one-night-stand tale of "Last Name," in which Underwood challenges her squeaky-clean image by growling lines like, "It started out, 'Hey, cutie, where you from/Then it turned into, 'Oh no, what I have done?'"

Overall, "Carnival Ride" is a strong sophomore effort, with Underwood flashing a surer sense of who she is and where she belongs. However she defines herself, though, the world is wide open for her from here.

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: On "I Told You So," the only cover song on Underwood's new album, she takes an old Randy Travis hit, strips it down to its acoustic core, then fills it with emotion through a perfectly restrained performance.