Trisha Yearwood - The Song Remembers When (1993)

Trisha Yearwood is often compared to Linda Ronstadt, and it's easy to understand why when listening to her wide-open country-rock vocal on "Better Your Heart Than Mine," which was co-authored by Andrew Gold, a former member of Ronstadt's band. Yearwood grabs hold of the rocking beat and belts out the melody as if her voice had the buzzing edge and rhythmic clout of an electric guitar. The 29-year-old singer is capable of a lot more, however, and she proves as much on her breakthrough third album. The key number is "I Don't Fall in Love So Easy." Yearwood's ability to stretch a note with a bluesy fall in pitch as if torn between defensiveness and desire is a rare skill. Willie Nelson not only wrote the Mexican-flavored "One in a Row," but he also plays the acoustic guitar solo on it and sings harmony behind her on Kimmie Rhodes' "Hard Promises To Keep." The album falls short of true greatness due to a few questionable song choices but it gives more than a few hints that Yearwood could well be the female country singer who best combines commercial appeal and artistic merit in the '90s. --Geoffrey Himes