I Am Shelby Lynne
Artist: Shelby Lynne
Community Score: 6.30
Permanently
Artist: Mark Wills
Community Score: 10.00

With a reputation for music and songs that speak to people's hearts, Mark Wills' Permanently doesn't disappoint. With songs like "In My Arms" about being a dad to a brand-new baby daughter (a tribute to his little girl) and "Rich Man" about being rich in love, Wills' has a penchant for appealing to fans' sensitive sides. But whether he's singing... Read More

More
Artist: Trace Adkins
Community Score: 10.00

More... is a very apt title for Trace Adkins' third album, since it essentially offers more of the same. For some artists, this would be a harsh criticism, but not in the case of Adkins, since he's proving himself to be one of the more reliable neo-traditionalists of the late '90s. Unlike some of his peers, Adkins doesn't pattern his singing... Read More

Under the Influence
Artist: Alan Jackson
Community Score: 9.65

Anyone who doubts Alan Jackson's roots as a honky tonk singer should turn to Under the Influences, his heartfelt salute to his favorite country singers. According to his self-penned liner notes, Jackson has "always wanted to do this album," and that's evident from the songs he chose to cover. There are several hits here, but they're the kind... Read More

Hits and Highways Ahead
Artist: Lee Roy Parnell

Hits and Highways Ahead compiles the majority of Lee Roy Parnell's hits from his first five albums, adding two new songs ("She Won't Be Lonely Long," "Long Way to Fall") plus "John the Revelator," taken fro, the various-artists album Peace in the Valley: A Country Music Journey Through Gospel. It isn't quite definitive -- not only are there a... Read More

The Secret of Giving: A Christmas Collection
Artist: Reba McEntire
Community Score: 9.00

Reba McEntire's second Christmas album is a departure from 1988's Merry Christmas to You. Secret of Giving features more down-to-earth, pop-country tracks that reflect her decidedly contemporary country style of the '90s. Cheerful and sincere, McEntire shows her usual eloquence on songs like "This Christmas," "Up on the Housetop," "This Is My... Read More

In the Life of Chris Gaines
Artist: Garth Brooks
Community Score: 5.50

When his popularity reached a plateau in the late '90s, Garth Brooks knew it was time to try something new, deciding to become somebody new: Chris Gaines, a brooding, leather-clad rock star. When Brooks' new persona and his album was revealed to the public, they were unforgiving - they didn't think that he was playing a role, they simply... Read More

Keepers: Greatest Hits
Artist: Tracy Byrd
Community Score: 6.00

Keepers: Greatest Hits is an excellent summary of Tracy Byrd's first five albums, collecting the very best of his hits. Included are the radio version of "The Keeper of the Stars" (rather than the earlier recording that appeared on No Ordinary Man) and a new song, "When Mama Ain't Happy," neither of which appear on other Byrd albums. The... Read More

I've Got a Right to Cry
Artist: Mandy Barnett

If ever there was a singer who was born to sing the torch and twang style that Patsy Cline created, it is Mandy Barnett. A soft-spoken performer who belts 'em out with all the guts and grit of the founding mothers of traditional country music, Barnett is amazing. Producer Owen Bradley, a legend himself, is known for his classic production style... Read More

I Don't Want to Miss a Thing
Artist: Mark Chesnutt

What do we make of Mark Chesnutt's foray into crossover territory? The bulk of I Don't Want to Miss a Thing is smooth new country, retaining the elements of neo-traditionalism that characterize the best of Chesnutt's earlier albums. There's a nice mix of material, ranging from the tender "Tonight I'll Let My Memories Take Me Home" to the honky... Read More

To Get to You: Greatest Hits Collection
Artist: Lorrie Morgan
Community Score: 10.00

To Get to You: The Greatest Hits Collection weighs in at a generous 17 tracks, but it falls short of being definitive. In fact, it's not necessarily even a hits collection, although it contains a fair share of big singles, including "We Both Walk," "Half Enough," "Good as I Was to You," "Go Away," and "He Talks to Me." Instead, it's a bit... Read More