Mark Wills (Mercury Nashville)
If you can't get enough of mewling, wispy-mustached boy bands, read no further. This country troubadour is a man's man who sings about the joys of holding women (not "girls"), baseball and spending time with children. Wills's latest is forceful, varied, energetic and always musical. The highlight is a romantic duet with Jamie O'Neal, "I'm Not Gonna Do Anything Without You." "I Hate Chicago" stands out, too, with Wills bashing that town because his girlfriend has moved there and fallen in love. But the treacly "The Balloon Song, " about a boy who sends a message to his dead mother by writing on a balloon he lets fly toward heaven, will make you long for a pin.
Bottom Line: Male-order music
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