'Heaven' sent;  Trisha Yearwood's voice carries straight to the heart on a nearly flawless CD BYLINE: PRESTON JONES, Star-Telegram staff writer SECTION: F; Pg. 3 In country music, more than other genres, artists are often called upon to interpret the work of others. It's a skill set few stars possess and even fewer truly utilize to its fullest extent -- for every effortless Reba McEntire, there's an awkward Taylor Swift waiting in the wings. Trisha Yearwood is among those who excel at wringing every last drop of emotion from third-party material that could otherwise feel bland. She takes ownership of the songs on her albums, investing energy and conveying palpable conviction in order to fully connect, not only with the art but the listener as well. Clearly, it's not a skill that can be taught, otherwise critics wouldn't prize performers such as Yearwood so highly. That Yearwood has one of modern music's most ingratiating instruments doesn't hurt, either. Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love, her first album of new material in 24 months, is a showcase for her warm, buoyant alto; the 13-track disc is split neatly between up-tempo, no-frills country-rockers and haunting ballads with an occasional burst of brassy attitude. Yearwood's longtime producer Garth Fundis knows to get out of the singer's way, keeping the canvas clear of fussy distractions; it's easy to slop a bunch of fiddle and pedal steel onto a country song, but often these touches thwart good intentions -- better to let the peerless vocals reside front and center. Heaven, Heartache and the Power ofLove's cohesion is also aided by the relative lack of duds -- Yearwood's discerning ear for compelling tracks means that misfires like Drown Meare infrequent. Rather, the album takes flight with songs like The Dreaming Fields, an absorbing sense memory that somehow evokes Terrence Malick's film Days of Heaven and simultaneously reveals Yearwood's debt to such predecessors as Linda Ronstadt. Another highlight, Let the Wind Chase You, is a powerful duet with the usually colorless Keith Urban. Indeed, the variety of moods through which Yearwood cycles is done with a deft hand; moving lightly from the gospel-tinged title track to the drowsy Western swing of Cowboys Are My Weakness(a song Yearwood might croon for husband Garth Brooks?), Yearwood's embodiment of various styles and her impassioned readings of lyrics both hopeful and world-weary is top-notch. Yearwood's 13th studio album glows with an easy charm. You can tear the disc apart trying to find a weak spot, but try as you might, it's an exercise in futility. Trisha, like other first-name-only Nashville icons, is simply one of the best at what she does. Download this:The Dreaming Fields Trisha Yearwood Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love **** 4 of 5 stars --Fort Worth Star Telegram, November 14, 20073 1/2 stars out of 5 by Brian Mansfield If Trisha Yearwood's first album in two years gets overshadowed by Garth Brooks' ultimate hits hoopla, then that's a real shame.  Her album may not arrive with the fanfare of her husband's, but what an album it is. It delivers everything its title promises and then some: a couple of blues-rocking barnburners, a little Memphis soul, some cooing cowboy swing and perfectly wrought ballads that Yearwood sings with emotional precision of a latter-day Tammy Wynette. --USA Today, November 13, 20073 out of 4 stars, reviewed by Randy VestTrisha Yearwood offers up some memorable story songs on this follow-up to 2005's "Jasper County," infusing each tale with her pitch-perfect delivery.  "Nothin' 'Bout Memphis" finds a guilt-ridden woman hiding a past romance from her current lover, while "Dreaming Fields" is an achingly beautiful reminiscence of a 1940's couple who lose the family farm.  But the mood here is not all downbeat.  "Nothin' About You Is Good For Me" is a boisterous rebuke of a low-down lothario, and "Cowboys Are My Weakness" is a loping two-stepper that playfully nods to hubby Garth Brooks. --People Magazine, November 9,2007Checklist SECTION: THE TIP SHEET Our top picks for the week: Hear- Trisha Yearwood, "Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love." Superstar Yearwood belts out love ballads--some sweet and slow, others snappy and sassy, but always with the feeling of someone who has loved, lost and lived to sing about it --Newsweek, November 19, 2007Downtime BYLINE: Barbara Kiviat; By Richard Corliss; James Poniewozik; Josh Tyrangiel; Richard Zoglin SECTION: ARTS: MOVIES - BOOKS - TUNED IN - DOWNTIME 5 Things That Want to Entertain You. What to seek out and what to avoid, from Heidi Klum to Frankenstein MUSIC Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love Trisha Yearwood; out Nov. 13 Mrs. Garth Brooks doesn't have her husband's ability to spin average material into commercial gold, and here her material is below average. The up-tempo title track barrels at you with the charm of a truck ad, while the lamely worded ballads float away without carrying any real emotion. Yearwood sings with brassy heft, but she can't lift this. C- --Time Magazine, November 19, 2007The Changer: Trisha Yearwood, Aretha Franklin and the Color Fred 12:00 AM CST on Sunday, November 18, 2007 Trisha Yearwood  Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love  (Big Machine, 2007)  Ms. Yearwood - or should we call her Mrs. Garth Brooks? - rarely pandered to mainstream country trends. Nor did she ever tweak her sound for the lucrative youthful market. And she's not about to start now. (Amen to that!) On her first CD for hot Big Machine Records, the Georgia native wraps her stunning, expressive pipes around a batch of melodically gorgeous ballads ("Let the Wind Chase You," "The Dreaming Fields" and "Sing You Back to Me"). Then, she's all sassy and vampy on the slinky saloon number "Cowboys Are My Weakness," the rambunctious "Nothin' About You Is Good for Me" and the knee-slapping title cut. One more song deserves mention: "This Is Me You're Talking To," a beautiful, bittersweet ode to the painful process of saying goodbye.  Mario Tarradell --The Dallas Morning News, November 18, 2007Yearwood Explores Power of Love on New Studio Album BY DEBORAH EVANS PRICE BillboardStreet week is always a busy time for an artist,but this week will be especially crazy for Trisha Yearwood. In addition to promoting the arrival of her Big Machine Records debut on Nov.13,Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love, Yearwood is currently opening nine sold-out shows for her husband Garth Brooks in Kansas City, Mo. Yearwood admits she was initially hesitant about pulling double duty."I'd been saying I couldn't open the show because I have my album coming out the 13th,"she says."Then I started thinking,`I just don't  want to miss it.  He's retired and doesn't do shows.  I'd love to be a part of it. 'But all the things I'm doing for street week,I'm still doing." During the Kansas City shows,Yearwood will perform for more than 150,000 fans, but even that pales in comparison to the millions of impressions she'll garner appearing on Late Show With David Letterman(Nov.15), Today(Nov.16)and The View(Nov.20), not to mention the radio promotions and online initiatives Big Machine has lined up.  The activity is complemented by the strong performance of the single/titletrack, which is No.22 onBillboard's Hot Country Songs.  Beginning Oct. 15,stations were able to offer a free download of the single for 30 days. "People are thrilled to have something new from her,and there's been a very warm welcome at radio,"Big Machine president/CEO Scott Borchetta says.   The new album is a diverse collection that runs the gamut from the playful Western yarn "Cowboys Are My Weakness," which she admits reminds her of Brooks,to the poignant"This Is Me You'reT alking To,"a strong contender for the second single. "I love songs that tell stories, but when you do those songs,you become the narrator," the Monticello,Ga.,native says. "When you start singing,`This happened to me,'instead of, `This happened to her,'you in- stantly become a lot more vulnerable."  That emotion is best felt on "Sing You Back to Me,"which deeply affected Yearwood.  "The song says,`If I could write a song that would bring you back to me,it would be the only song I'd ever sing,'"says the artist,who lost her father in September 2005. "Listening to the demo,I would just cry and cry.  It's so personal to me." The new album will join Yearwood's recently issued MCA greatest-hits package in the marketplace.  But Borchet- ta says that rather than cannibalizing sales, the latter CD will "bring awareness to the fact that Trisha is alive and well and in play.  We're going to make it clear that Trisha has a new studio album."  Retailers are counting on Yearwood's loyal fan base to snap up Heaven."Given that the first single has been received well at radio and the fact that we are getting regular requests at store level,I think it is a perfect time for the new album," says Brian Smith,VP of store operations for Marietta,Ga.-based Value Music Concepts. During street week,Yearwood will fly back and forth between the Kansas City shows and events in New York and Nashville.  Yearwood will play alive acoustic concert the  night of Nov.13, which is being offered for simulcast on radio station Websites. A Lon Helton-hosted radio special will also be serviced in conjunction with Westwood One. As for touring, Yearwood says she'll perform the ater dates in February and March,then take time in April to pro- mote a cookbook she has coming out through Random House that she wrote with her mom, Gwen, and her sister,Beth Bernard.  Fair dates are in the works for next summer. "Somewhere in the back of my mind,I felt like this album as a whole had to be undeniable," Yearwoods ays."After 15 years,you've got to find a way to make people say,`I know you've heard  her sing for 15 years, but you need to hear this.' And that's a hard thing to do." ©2007, Nielsen Entertainment NewsWire THE BEAT --The Advocate, Baton Rouge, November 9, 2007