If there’s any artist who is consistent, it’s Carrie Underwood. Overproduced tracks smothering meager vocals.

That’s great news if you like to hear the same old stuff again and again (or, as she describes them, “throwback-type songs”), even if it’s on another new album. Does country music really need yet another collection of catchy anthems, peppered with heartbreak pop drivel? Ms. Underwood is one of the few artists who could afford to take a few chances. Sigh.

Denim & Rhinestones achieves very similar results as almost every previous Underwood album. While that is an accountant’s dream come true, I guess we’re never going to get the risk-taking album that acts as a bridge as she approaches the next stage of her career — from dependable country-pop American Idol arriviste to something more substantial that would act as a springboard for artistic growth in the coming decades.

In other words, ironically, it’s getting old.