Album of the week
A better title would have been Tin Man, since not having a brain has never been the business-savvy Brooks's problem. Heart has been a different story, though. His emotional range has been limited to standard-issue statements of love and angst. That's why this, which Brooks claimed last year would be his final album, is his best work to date: It pulses with human feeling, from "Mr. Midnight," about the plight of an overnight deejay, to "When You Come Back to Me Again," a tune for those who've loved and lost.
Brooks doesn't forget to kick up his spurs, notably on lively duets with George Jones and Trisha Yearwood, and he even jumps on the bluegrass haywagon for a gospel-tinged number. If this is to be the last disc from a superstar, what a way to go!
Bottom Line: Plenty to crow about
