Reach
Young Nashville neophyte Meredith Edwards seems more influenced by the teenybopper sultriness of a popster likeBritney Spearsthan by the countrified earnestness of aTammy Wynette. She possesses a sweet but unremarkable voice that merely sounds out of its depth on wrenching pop-country love ballads like "You," "Places in Your Heart," and the title tune. But here and there, as on more inspired songs like "In Any Given Moment," the quirky "The Bird Song," and the teen-tortured "This Is the Heartache," Edwards is allowed to play to her own youthfulness instead of struggling to affect a worldliness beyond her tender years. It's only then that she makes a case that she may well be more than just another vapid but cleverly packaged teen warbler who just happens to look good in a miniskirt and halter top.--Bob Allen