Mindy McCready

Marketed mainly as a sexpot by her former record company, Mindy McCready chafed against that image ("I always wanted to say important things") and finally left the label altogether. But maybe she was on the right track to start with. The most memorable songs on her new Capitol album mine the same light vein as the majority of her RCA hits ("Guys Do It All the Time") but lack the knockout punch that earned her platinum status. She scores points for finding a good, left-wing cheating song, "Lovin' Your Man," told from the point of view of the errant best friend. And she's believable on "Scream," in which a spurned woman struggles to deal with the anger of romantic failure. But otherwise, this "country" album just floats by on a sea of homogenized L.A. pop. By its end, you don't even remember who's singing. Or care. --Alanna Nash