Maybe Not Tonight
On 1997'sLabor of Love, the Louisiana-born, milky-voiced singer took his biggest step yet away from rugged traditionalism and toward civil contemporary country. He was rewarded with a gold record that reached country's top 5 and even pop's top 50. With 1999'sMaybe Not Tonight, he continues to move in the direction of platinum polish. The honky-tonk quotient is down to just one--the ridiculously trite "Louisiana Hot Sauce"--as Kershaw focuses his attention on genteel ballads that are sung mostly with sincerity and care, although indifference does crop up at times. However, when the remake of "More Than I Can Say," a hit for bothBobby VeeandLeo Sayer, ranks among the better material, that tells you what you need to know.--Marc Greilsamer