I Miss My Friend
Twangy, steeped inHaggardesque melodies and vocal turns, and often raggedy in execution, Darryl Worley's sophomore album should send fans of honest-to-God country searching for the nearest skywriter. The melancholy true-life title tune is a big hit, and deservedly so, but there's lots more to sample. Yes, the kickoff tune, "Tennessee River Run," borrows so much fromAlan Jackson's "Chattahoochie" that he ought to get royalties. And yes, Worley includes a couple of too-soft targets--Stephen Dale Jones's heart-tugging "POW 369" and "Spread a Little Love Around," a tune so syrupy ("Throw the ball for Rover") it could give family values a bad name. But "Back Where I Belong," so evocative of Haggard's homesick ballads and punctuated by pedal-steel tears, is the very heart of country music. Don't miss the myriad of deft instrumental touches--the chicken-pickin' guitar on the irresistible "Callin' Caroline" or the mournful fiddle intro on "The Least That You Can Do." Worley, who wrote much of the material, didn't get the kudos his2000 debutwarranted. Let's hope this one makes up for it.--Alanna Nash