Life Goes on
Don't expect any surprises fromLife Goes On, this mostly uptempo showcase for one of modern country's more buoyant singers. After all, Terri Clark's made a 10-year career of wrapping her big-boned voice around stories of dreamers, lovers, and the heartbroken and turning them into hits, expertly and brightly accompanied by crack session musicians. Nonetheless, there are some outstanding performances here. The title track and "Damn Right" are pure pop, the former a catchy nod to the joys of life's Zen-like surprises, the latter a rhyme-packed ditty about an ex-lover. "I Wish He'd Been Drinkin' Whiskey" veers into classic tear-in-your-beer territory with its sobering tale of a split-up. The autobiographical piano ballad "Travelin' Soul" waxes about the joys and insecurities that come with the pursuit of dreams and gives Clark a chance to explore the soft side of her singing. She stays in heartbreak territory for the Dobro-and-acoustic-guitar-charged "Everybody's Gotta Go Sometime" and the stomping "Tear It All Down." And "Slow News Days" is one of her rare topical numbers, gently admonishing our media-mad culture and urging people to look to their hearts rather than the headlines for what's best about humanity.--Ted Drozdowski