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 Rebecca Lynn Howard, Rebecca Lynn Howard (MCA
Nashville 2000) - 20-year-old Kentucky native Rebecca Lynn Howard is another fresh face from Nashville. On
her 12-song debut, Howard shows an assured style, blending traditional Nashville elements with cross-over elements
on such songs as the tender "Melancholy Blue."
 Says
Rebecca (who wrote or co-wrote 10 of the
tunes), "This record is really diverse. There are songs stretching from modern day contemporary all the way
back to really traditional country. There are a lot of different sides to me and when people hear my music, I think
they'll come to know me."
The new album was recorded with producer Mark Wright and a host of session hands, including Dan Dugmore on acoustic guitar, Steve Cropper and Brent
Rowan on electric guitar, Paul Franklin on steel guitar, Stuart
Duncan and Larry Franklin on fiddle, and Steve Nathan on piano and keyboards.
 "Move
Me" has an up-tempo, bouncy country feel, and "When My Dreams Come True" and "Tennis in My
Windshield" are both driven by electric guitars with a touch of twang, but "I Don't Paint Myself Into
Corners" and "You're Not a Memory Yet" both develop the ballad side of Rebecca.
Yet the standout track is "Melancholy Blue," with its understated string section echoing Rebecca's
sweet voice.
 Not
only is Rebecca an accomplished singer, her songs have
also been recorded by the likes of Reba McEntire and
Jon Michael Montgomery. Rebecca also contributed the song, "Softly and Tenderly," to
the Grammy-winning soundtrack to "The Apostle."
Howard was signed to both Rising Tide Records and Decca before finding a home at MCA Nashville. Rebecca
has a philosophical spin on the label turmoil, stating "Everything happens for a reason. That's my motto and
the attitude I took through this up-and-down process. And it's proved to be a pretty good thing. I've got a lot
of support behind me, I'm a lot more mature, and I've got songs that came out of all that stuff that happened."
Let this Nashville newcomer audition for you.
 Don Henley, Inside Job (Warner Bros. 2000)
- Don Henley is (or at least was) a Rock God. Inside Job is his first new recording in a decade.
Does it hold up? Only in parts. And that's disappointing, because Henley has a voice that is achingly good.
Donald Hugh Henley was raised in East Texas, where he was introduced to a variety of musical influences, ranging
from Elvis Presley to Kitty Wells to Bob
Wills. (Click here for a semi-humorous story about Don
Henley's URL dispute with a religious eccentric named Don Henley.)
Henley started in a band with Jim Ed Norman (currently president of Warner/Reprise
Nashville), and relocated to Los Angeles in 1970, where he met up with the young Glenn Frey
(who was then in a duo with John David Souther).
 Henley
and Frey teamed to form the Eagles, selling 15 million copies of the
classic Hotel California, and more than 26 million copies of Greatest Hits 1971-75
(surpassing Michael Jackson's Thriller as the biggest-selling
U.S. album).
Henley followed with three solo albums
in the 80s, including Building the Perfect Beast (with the hit single, "The Boys of Summer")
and The End of the Innocence (1989).
Since then, Henley has been involved with the Walden Woods Project, which has raised more than $22 million for the
preservation of environmentally-sensitive and historically-significant acres in the Walden Pond environs.
 Henley
also spearheaded the Common Thread collection from 1993, an all-star country tribute that was
named 1994's "Album of the Year" by the Country Music Association,
and participated in the historic Eagles reunion concerts. In addition, Henley
married long-time girlfriend Sharon Summerall
of Dallas, in May 1995, and is now the father of two young children.
Which mental state leads to Inside Job. Says Henley,
"My approach is to let the material evolve; to try to achieve a balance of tempos, textures, subject matter,
and emotions. I had a good, long gestation period and after a while, these things start kicking around and they
have to come out. Since today's musical climate seems to fluctuate between bubble gum and unintelligible ranting,
I would like to think that there's a place out there for my stuff."
 Henley started pre-production work on the album in 1997, and continued
in the studio during 1998 and 1999. The album was produced in collaboration with Stan Lynch (formerly
of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers), and includes appearances
from such friends and fellow musicians as Randy Jackson, Benmont Tench, Jimmie Vaughan, Bob
Glaub, Stewart Smith, Mike Campbell, and Danny Kortchmar (click here for a great
vintage interview with Henley and Kootch).
 What's
good? "Everything Is Different Now," "My Thanksgiving" (with its reflective lyrics), and, especially,
"Miss Ghost" with a driving beat and traces of Robbie
Robertson's snakey sound and mysterious stories.
Inside Job isn't a bad album, nor would it be substantially aided by a trimming (though it clocks
in at a hefty 70-plus minutes). Henley takes his time on each of the songs, and lets them run their course. For
example, "Taking You Home" is a pleasing ballad, though it again clocks in at a healthy 5:31. Yet the
album simply comes up short on memorable songs, no matter how hard you look.
 Still,
Henley maintains an astute perspective on his
fame. Says the artist, "After a couple of decades of being a public figure, a person grows tired of his own
face. If this malaise is allowed to continue unchecked, it can deteriorate and lead to a loss of enthusiasm and
a withering of creativity. One day you wake up and you're wearing the pathetic clown suit."
Henley escapes the clown suit on Inside Job. Don't be afraid to try Inside Job.
Just keep your expectations closer to earth.
- Randy Krbechek © 2000
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