'Heaven' sent

By PRESTON JONES
Star-Telegram staff writer

In country music, more than other genres, artists are often called upon to interpret the work of others.

It's a skill set few stars possess and even fewer truly utilize to its fullest extent -- for every effortless Reba McEntire, there's an awkward Taylor Swift waiting in the wings.

Trisha Yearwood is among those who excel at wringing every last drop of emotion from third-party material that could otherwise feel bland. She takes ownership of the songs on her albums, investing energy and conveying palpable conviction in order to fully connect, not only with the art but the listener as well. Clearly, it's not a skill that can be taught, otherwise critics wouldn't prize performers such as Yearwood so highly.

That Yearwood has one of modern music's most ingratiating instruments doesn't hurt, either. Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love, her first album of new material in 24 months, is a showcase for her warm, buoyant alto; the 13-track disc is split neatly between up-tempo, no-frills country-rockers and haunting ballads with an occasional burst of brassy attitude. Yearwood's longtime producer Garth Fundis knows to get out of the singer's way, keeping the canvas clear of fussy distractions; it's easy to slop a bunch of fiddle and pedal steel onto a country song, but often these touches thwart good intentions -- better to let the peerless vocals reside front and center.

Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love's cohesion is also aided by the relative lack of duds -- Yearwood's discerning ear for compelling tracks means that misfires like Drown Me are infrequent.

Rather, the album takes flight with songs like The Dreaming Fields, an absorbing sense memory that somehow evokes Terrence Malick's film Days of Heaven and simultaneously reveals Yearwood's debt to such predecessors as Linda Ronstadt. Another highlight, Let the Wind Chase You, is a powerful duet with the usually colorless Keith Urban.

Indeed, the variety of moods through which Yearwood cycles is done with a deft hand; moving lightly from the gospel-tinged title track to the drowsy Western swing of Cowboys Are My Weakness (a song Yearwood might croon for husband Garth Brooks?), Yearwood's embodiment of various styles and her impassioned readings of lyrics both hopeful and world-weary is top-notch.

Yearwood's 13th studio album glows with an easy charm. You can tear the disc apart trying to find a weak spot, but try as you might, it's an exercise in futility. Trisha, like other first-name-only Nashville icons, is simply one of the best at what she does.

Download this: The Dreaming Fields

Trisha Yearwood

Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love

**** 4 of 5 stars


http://www.star-telegram.com/music/story/302843.html

wow that was a good one, then again has she ever gotten a bad review???

Another Great Review! Thanks Sandi for sharing it!
Hmm, but I have to say, I Really, Really Like Drown me to! Each Song is Incredible! I find myself repeating them all over and over again! CD is just on repeat! lol

Quote by wmdude102086:



I do recall that more than a few critics weren't all that wild about Where Your Road Leads in '98.

I usually like what the critics don't like, so I bet this one will be one of my favorites. (I haven't heard it yet, I'm waiting until I get the album in the mail.) Still, other than that, the article was a great review. But it's hard to knock Trisha, she's got it all!

I liked most of WYRL other than the title track in the beginning. There was something about the song that I just detested, but I never could quite put my finger on exactly what. But I have come to like the title track better since then.

ROCK ON!!! What an awesome and educated review.

Now if I could just be away from work long enough to go buy the dang thing, life would be good! (the price you pay for skipping a weekend of work to go to KC - I'll get over it. )

AWESOME!!!!

- lish