Reba McEntire
's
Duets
project is either the return of one of the biggest stars
country
music has ever seen, or an effort to try to regain some of that popularity now that another generation of Nashville musicians has claimed the radio, video, and sales spotlight.
is only the second album of new songs by
McEntire
to appear in the last eight years -- an eternity in Nashville (and being the star of a sitcom doesn't count for much). Her last,
Room to Breathe
, appeared almost four years ago and spawned the hit
"I'm Gonna Take That Mountain,"
propelling the album to a number four position on the
Billboard
chart and a brief stay at 25 in the
pop
chart. That said, a project like this, with so much hype and expense incurred behind and because of it, demands an artist with staying power and a legacy to fall back on, and she has it: for starts, thirty number one singles. As for
, there is no shortage of star power, and it's multi-generational in terms of the world of
music. On one side are
contemporary country
superstars like
Kelly Clarkson
-- the album's first single,
"Because of You,"
written when
Clarkson
was 16 years old, has blown up.
Kenny Chesney
,
Rascal Flatts
Ronnie Dunn
Faith Hill
, and
LeAnn Rimes
are also here. So are major, near-legendary talents like
Trisha Yearwood
and
Vince Gill
(it's odd to think of
Gill
as an elder statesman of
, but in a 30-year career that's what he is), who also have active, busy careers and hit the charts whenever they release material. Then there are the "others," those songwriters who do not fit the
mold but are welcome presences here:
Carole King
(one of the greatest songwriters ever) and
Don Henley
appear on two of the most successful tracks in the set. Finally, there's the rogue outsider who is simply a
superstar:
Justin Timberlake
. (If you roll your eyes at what he's doing here, you're right: he had an inside connection since his business partner dates
's daughter.)
As for the quality of the tracks -- since most music biz projects like this crash and burn after a few weeks or upon getting trounced by critics -- this one is a mixed bag, but in a good way.
's performance with
Rimes
on
"When You Love Someone Like That"
is stellar. The co-written duet between the flaming redheaded
diva and
"Does the Wind Still Blow in Oklahoma?"
is an honest to goodness
song, and works as much because of the high lonesome in
Dunn
's beautiful baritone as it does the headliner's act.
"Because of You"
may be the hit, but the song is simply a big, overblown power ballad with guitars compressed to the breaking point, sweeping strings, and enormous crashing cymbals -- think
Jim Steinman
and you get it. (Not that
Tony Hit Man Brown
's a whole lot different in his own genre, but this could have been a
Meat Loaf
reject from
Bat out of Hell II
). A similar problem plagues
"Faith in Love"
with
. It's got what it takes for radio, no doubt about it, but it's a song everybody will be sick of sooner rather than later. Things get back on track with
"She Can't Save Him,"
Yearwood
, who is simply a class act as a stylist, and a woman who never over-sings. It's a lilting piano ballad-turned-big number but
are very suited to one another as singing partners.
has great control, and
has the amazing ability to be a musical chameleon. It would have been lovely to have a
-written number for the occasion of this duet. That said, however, the newly acquired graininess in
King
's amazing voice is a fine contrast on this
-
song that rocks it up enough to stretch
.
"Every Other Weekend"
Chesney
is somewhat underwhelming. Either of them could have pulled this one off alone (you can hear
making this one truly believable), but together, there's a kind of distance in the voices that all of the strings in
Brown
's world couldn't make gel. Things work a whole lot better with
who, like
, can sing with anyone and allows himself to become whatever he's signing. As a result, both singers sound wonderful on
"These Broken Hearts"
delivers one of those extremely moving performances she's built her well-deserved career on. It's for a
Pete Wasner
tune, and it was perhaps written for this session, but nonetheless, she just nails it, and in his support role as a singing partner,
rises to the level put forth by
, and this is one of those broken love songs kissed by
Steve Nathan
's B-3 and the sweet backing vocals of
Ashley Cleveland
Judson Spence
Kim Keyes
that can't miss with the strange bridge and chorus with its ghostly backdrop.
"Sleeping with the Telephone"
Hill
works just as you think it might: like a charm. Great singing, emotional performances and
Dann Huff
's addition to the production team of
on this track saves it from the excess that might have plagued it. It feels natural, polished, and utterly true. The choruses are stirring enough to bring goose bumps.
"The Only Promise That Remains,"
Timberlake
, was written with
Matt Morris
and is maybe a tad longer than it should be at over five minutes. But that's a small complaint. It's a solid song: acoustically based with some
Celtic
flavor, and written for the strengths in
's voice (and
could learn something about using strings from
.) Here they don't overpower, they accent the song, and the cello fills are an excellent touch as are the dobro by
Rob Ickes
and upright bass by
Glenn Worf
contents himself to sing harmony rather than take solo verses; but that's more about serving the song than about not being able to sing. It's a welcome surprise here. Finally,
Henley
close with
"Break Each Other's Hearts Again."
And although
can write, he doesn't do it well here, which is too bad. He's a great singer when he wants to be, especially as a harmonist. He's superb in that role, and he delivers his verses with conviction and a tawdry elegance that fits the song like a glove.
can really sing with
. They were in the same room when it was recorded and the chemistry is right there. The band here should be mentioned, too, since
is in familiar company with a rhythm section of drummer
Russ Kunkel
and bassist
Leland Sklar
's fans will eat this up, and perhaps those of
will, too. It's not a perfect record by any means, but it doesn't need to be; it simply has to deliver, and it does more often than not. Whether or not it turns a new generation of fans on to
will remain to be seen, but this feels like anything but a cynical effort. It's sincere, it's polished, and it's full of good to great songs delivered in mostly interesting ways. ~ Thom Jurek