Alabama
Let's give TV dinners their due. They're easy, undemanding, fast and relatively satisfying. They never surprise you or disappoint you. Now let's give the guys from Alabama their due. They are unarguably the most popular group in country music. Teddy Gentry, Jeff Cook, Randy Owen and Mark Herndon are obviously splendid musicians. But it's hard to imagine anyone, say, 50 years from now playing their records or performing their songs, as they will the music of Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton or (still) Hank Williams Sr. While the Alabamans are never offensive or sloppy, they're never provocative or moving either. Even when using outside material, they seem to have blinders on. True, these are the sort of blinders that keep you going on an unswerving path to fame and fortune, but they still lead to a deadening sameness. Come to think of it, maybe it's not fair to TV dinners to compare them to Alabama. (RCA)
Your Reaction
