Jaime Kyle - Back From Hollywood (1996)

I remember the attention given to the lead-off track 'The Best Of My Heart'. 100% AOR, this one lives on in my memory banks like a stuck record! Great tune. 'Everything But Love' is a galloping sort of tune, again closer to radio friendly AOR than crossover country pop. Acoustic guitar leads the way throughout 'Understanding', but it's filled out with lush melodies and a to-die-for chorus. 'Bed Of Roses' is given a revamp from its original appearance on 'The Passionate Kind', 'Love Comes Unwound' has a midwest touch, with a feelgood factor going on. 'Stranded' is best known as the track Heart made popular on their 1990 'Brigade' album, but Jaime's version is pretty good even without the Mutt Lange production. On 'Silent Rain', Jaime's vocal moves into a slightly lower register and it sounds so damn sexy. Even if she sang the Yellow Pages like this I'd still be impressed! lol! I like the mild hint of aggression on 'Crossing Over' especially on the chorus, and when she slips into ballad mode for 'How Do I Stop The Tears', it's easy to understand why Kyle has a strong reputation as a songwriter. 'Is There Still Time' is big on acoustic guitar rhythms, like early Heart or even Fleetwood Mac for that matter. The title track 'Back From Hollywood' could be Firefall in another decade, though it's a touch heavier than our Colorado favourites. The album wraps up with a piano laced ballad 'Where Was I'.

Some great tracks here, which really demonstrates how talented Jaime Kyle was in the singer/songwriter stakes. She certainly has the knack of writing melodic material without ending up with cookie-cutter tunes from other similar styled writers. In the where is she now stakes, Jaime is still around but her output is not so prolific as in past years.