Holly Dunn
So much for the sophomore jinx. Dunn's second album is at least as much a stand-up-and-cheer-for-the-lady delight as her Grammy-nominated 1986 debut. Backed by a mostly acoustic band that includes drummer Larrie Londin, guitarist Steve Gibson and string-meister Mark O'Connor, Dunn serves up 10 impeccably framed country tunes. The songs are uniformly appealing. Her singing is bright, sweet and clear enough to evoke images of mountain springs, even to those who have seen that kind of thing only in beer commercials. A couple of the tunes (Jim Croce's Lover's Cross and Fewer Threads Than These, written by Bucky Jones, Kevin Welch and Gary Nicholson and recorded by Dan Seals) are familiar. Noteworthy new tracks include Why Wyoming (Tom Shapiro, Kix Brooks, Chris Waters), which has a deft turn: "Why Wyoming/ Did you take my love from me?/ He's the only cowboy that I've got/ And you've got all you need." Dunn's own Little Frame House, on which Cheryl and Sharon White sing backup, adds an affecting bit of down-home nostalgia. Dunn says on the jacket, "This album is dedicated to the belief that music is meant to make the heart rich." It will no doubt enrich the hearts of more than a few music lovers, and it's not going to hurt Holly's bank account either. (MTM)
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