Burn
Jo Dee Messina
Published by Checkout.com
What do you get when you cross country and pop? Whatever you
call it, its color is green (the shade of choice among dead presidents). The biz
is smart enough to know that if you take a pop song, add a country guy or gal,
and throw in a pinch of pedal steel, what you've got is a recipe for riches that'll
pour in from at least two markets. Sometimes the money stinks (check the Def Leppard-isms
on Shania's "Honey, I'm Home"), and sometimes it just falls short of
buying happiness, like on Jo Dee Messina's Burn. Although her voice shines
throughout, the bulk of Messina's latest drags with hired songwriting that, rather
than shooting straight for the heart, gets lost somewhere on the way to the bank.
Burn stays lit on three or four well-written songs, but the others can't
figure out what they want to be -- or maybe they're just trying to be everything
to everyone. For every "These Are the Days," a tuneful slice of idealism
with country cred, there are two tracks that sing the safe praises of sitting
on the fence. "That's the Way" mixes plastic pop with pseudo-tropical
rhythms and a canned message of non-involvement ("You gotta roll with the
punches"), while "Closer" tries miserably to rock (its team of
authors apparently wouldn't know Chuck Berry from Barry Manilow), serving bubble
gum alongside cheese-metal in a lyrical wasteland. When the amps get turned
down, things generally take a turn for the better. Take Burn's title
track, which generates genuine feeling with subtle arrangements, strong melodies
and thoughtful words. Burn makes you wait for its strongest track, closing with the elegantly
rustic ballad "Bring On the Rain," a duet with Tim McGraw (who also
co-produced the album). Understated and well-placed, McGraw's vocal contributions
create a flowing conversation, instead of a competition. Add front-porch slide
guitar and plenty of feeling, and "Rain" becomes a glimpse into what
Burn could have been. With pipes and personality beyond question, Jo
Dee Messina is the charismatic constant that's sadly saddled with the inconsistencies
of an array of songwriters. If only some of them could convince us that they
do it because they love it.