CRITIC'S CHOICE
COUNTRY
For the first single from her solo debut, former Trick Pony singer Heidi Newfield draws inspiration from two country legends: Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. The result, "Johnny and June," does the two proud; it surely has them smiling somewhere. But Newfield is far from a one-trick pony, making one of the year's best country albums. Other highlights include the Lori McKenna-cowritten ballad "Wreck You" and the honky-tonkish "Knocked Up." Best, though, is "Love Her and Lose Me," a good old-fashioned weepie on which Newfield ponders, "When you lay down with her tonight/ We'll see who loses sleep."
