Spin Control
*** 1/2
TRISHA YEARWOOD, "JASPER COUNTY" (MCA)
Here's a word of assurance for fans who feared that the influence of Trisha
Yearwood's fiance, Garth Brooks, would push her music in a crassly commercial
direction: Relax. Although such fears were certainly understandable, Yearwood's
first release since 2001 is one of the strongest and most tasteful discs in her
10-album oeuvre.
Working with producer Garth Fundis, Yearwood recorded and then scrapped an
album's worth of material before finally completing "Jasper County." At 38
minutes, the final product is a bit skimpy, but a short, carefully sculpted disc
is always preferable to a flabby one larded up with weak cuts.
Fundis has given the album an organic feel, expertly framing Yearwood's
exquisite voice without cluttering up the tracks with extraneous
instrumentation. Yearwood's vocal range and command of pitch are showcased on
the swampy "Sweet Love." The native of Monticello, Ga., sounds perfectly at home
on the lead single, "Georgia Rain," which includes subdued harmony vocals from
Brooks.
Ronnie Dunn duets with Yearwood on the pleading love song "Try Me," a Stephanie
Chapman/Liz Rose composition that includes the memorable lyrics "When you go to
sleep and you can't find a dream/ Won't you try me?/ A place you can whisper the
secrets you keep/ That's what I'll be/ And when you've given up and there's no
one to trust/ Come and find me."
The two missteps here are "Standing Out in a Crowd" and "Gimme the Good Stuff,"
both of which are marred by feel-good slogans and slightly glossy production.
These two tracks seem like concessions to an executive's stereotypical request
that an album contain the requisite amount of radio-friendly fodder. Despite
those dabs of syrup, this album ranks among the best country releases of 2005.
Bobby Reed