Mindy McCready (Capitol)
Blonde, bouncy and adorned with navel jewelry, country's Mindy McCready is the missing link between Nashville and the Santa Monica Pier. Although McCready, 26, has described this album as more "adult" than her previous work, it includes such youthful, pop-influenced tracks as "Maybe, Maybe Not." Despite some of the fluffier material on this comeback attempt—McCready's first since the disappointing sales of her last two discs, 1997's If I Don't Stay the Night and 1999s I'm Not So Tough—the former fiancee of Superman Dean Cain proves that she is still a relevant performer.
She effortlessly manages the disc's more complex tunes, from torchy ballads to witty, flirtatious uptempo numbers. On the thoughtful love song "Don't Speak," McCready demonstrates an emotional depth when she sings with a throaty timbre, "Don't talk/ I'll know when I've reached your soul." For better or worse, McCready doesn't write any of her own compositions here. But she does offer a lively style that reflects her younger audience without condescending to them.
Bottom Line: Country music for the TRL crowd
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