We got classic colas and ice cold Coronas and big pool parties in the backyard...

Ah, Faith. The "Jan Brady" in the triumverate of country-pop crossover sirens in the 90's (with Shania Twain and LeAnn Rimes), Faith Hill suffered the same fate,seeing her country radio presence greatly diminished. After her smash album Breathe, Hill saw her next six consecutive singles miss the country top-10, which is quite a change - before that she's only missed the top 10 twice before with fourth singles from different albums. Meanwhile, in adult contemporary (read "doctor's office") radio she was still gangbusters. Her last album, Cry, was more an nod to the Sheryl Crow audience than the Reba McEntire one. It still went to #1, but more upon name recognition and new converts than her previous audience that put her in the stratosphere of female country singer sales. So does Faith continue on the soft-rock route, or opt to try to woo the country market back?

Well taking more guidance from the youngest prodigy (LeAnn) than the oldest (Shania), Faith goes for the "back-to-roots" sort of tack for her new album, Fireflies. The album opens with "Sunshine And Summertime", a standard seasonal shuffle which in other hands would've been hokey, but Hill's bright vocal livens up the song to play along with the Buffett-style beat. Next comes the first single "Mississippi Girl" a semi-forced autobiographical tune that basically is a redneck version of J-Lo's "Jenny On The Block", even more so when you know she didn't even write the song. However she does sing earnestly on the track trying her best to make it hers, and it's not a total failure. After that surprisingly is the most "country" song on the album, "Dearly Beloved", a sweeter take on the Dixie Chicks "White Trash Wedding" theme. The naive and bubbly delivery underlie a seedy little take on rural marriage. It's among the best tracks on the album, and ironically the one probably least likely to be actually played on country radio. "I Ain't Gonna Take It Anymore" is a much quieter followup, utilising Hill's knack of wrenching heartache from a number to good effect. She evens trump that with the sole duet with hubby Tim McGraw, "Like We Ever Loved At All". Any doubt to their ability to convey an unhappy couple with their own happy marriage are quite put to rest. It's the highlight of the album, and sneakily so, since it's the most "pop" song on the album, borrowing more from Dusty Springfield than Kitty Wells. The second half of the album does get less exciting than the first, but still contains gems like the single "The Lucky One", which reprises the beat and theme of her earlier hit "The Secret Of Life", and the sad "If You Ask", a sleeper hit-in-a-better-world about the consquences of being in love with an alcoholic, and the codependency that follows. Everything else is standard old-Faith fare, save a couple clunkers: the weirdly-jingoistic chant of "We've Got Nothing But Love", the forgettable "I Want You", and strangely enough, the title song, a "soccer mom" type ditty best left to someone like Martina McBride (and yes, it pains me to say that last phrase). The close of the album, "Paris", is a piano-bar ballad that is redeemed by Faith's inspired delivery.

All in all, Fireflies is a satisfying album that while doesn't overshadow her earlier work, overcomes the misstep of her last couple of projects. Hopefully with the success of the album so far (3 top 10 songs so far, with "Sunshine And Summertime" possibly making a fourth), Faith Hill will continue to go in the path of her roots - a country singer with a pop sensibility rather than the reverse.

Grade: B
Best Cuts: "Like We Never Loved At All", "Dearly Beloved", "If You Ask"
Weakest Links: "We've Got Nothing But Love", "Fireflies", "I Want You"

Fireflies hit #1 on the Billboard 200 Albums and #1 Country Albums chart.
"Mississippi Girl" made #1 Country and #29 Pop.
"Like We Never Loved At All" hit #5 Country, #45 Pop, and #9 Adult Contemporary.
"The Lucky One" made #5 Country and #69 Pop.
"Sunshine And Summertime" so far made #13 Country and #82 Pop.

To buy the album you can find it here or here.

To listen to the track "Dearly Beloved" click here to download. (right click to bring in new window)

and here's the video to her third single, "The Lucky One"