Girls' Night Out
This is the companion CD to Canada-based CMT's live-concert television special recorded in March 1999, and it features four of the most-popular female artists of 1990s contemporary country--all of whom are not coincidentally BMG labelmates. If nothing else, it's an accurate snapshot of Nashville at the turn of the century: spunky two-steppers and heart-tugging ballads of widely varying quality; an album cover full of flawlessly airbrushed women in fetching poses; and a sonic production that's usually as airbrushed as the album cover. All four women have considerable vocal talent, although Evans seems to know best how to use it. The question, as usual, comes down to the ratio of country elements to adult-contemporary pop, and even when a fiddle or steel guitar pops up, it too often seems like a contrivance. Unfortunately, the pabulum has a tendency to obscure the real meat here, which is often quite rewarding. Problem is, even the spiciest of meals is lost when it falls on deadened taste buds.--Marc Greilsamer