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"Stepping Stone"
Lari White's fourth studio album is
a typical, turn-of-the- century Nashville moment, and so unfortunately
it includes all the strengths and weaknesses one might expect:
perfect but sterile playing; lots of story songs more interested
in their clever ideas ("John Wayne Walking Away," for
example) than in their real stories; and undeniable hooks (the
title-track first single) wasted with shallow, feel-good lyrics.
White has got some kinda pipes--enough to actually pull off a
slinky, if unremarkable, country-pop declaration like "Take
Me"--and is a technically superb singer, too. Perhaps too
much so, since she oversings most everything, even a fine working-
class slow-burn called "Tired," where she manages to
work up enough energy to sing the word "gone" with
a good half-dozen syllables. --David Cantwell |
