Her only two missteps however…both of the songs off of this album (”Stronger Woman” and her next single “I Do”). They were both rather dull and forgettable (and the only two that got zero audience reaction and the only two my friend turned to me and said she thought sucked without knowing they came off her recent “country” album). In attempting to be country, she took her music and songwriting to a much lower level and it didn’t work for her at all. I think she will fit in on country radio these days much better if she sticks with what worked for her best. Maybe next time.

btw…If “I Do” gets much radio play, I will be surprised.

Katie: It depends on how you want to listen to the instruments. On one hand, sure, Johnny Boy has fluidly set the steels and fiddles into the mixes. That’s what he does. but does that mean they fit? There’s a reason we don’t hear those instruments in a lot of pop music–they are sonically and socially associated with Country. And with most of these songs, there’s just nothing country there–not the voice, not the lyrics, not the delivery. You can’t just take a pop song and “make it” country, even when the arrangement and the mix would otherwise lend itself to that classification. And so that’s why I said it feels forced.

You make a good point that there’s a lot of mushy love stuff, but I thought on the whole it was balanced — “Rosey and Mick” is startlingly gritty (Miranda’s made domestic violence a hot topic), and “Perfectly Clear” is really old-school Jewel with that surreal imagery. “Thump Thump” is definitely the low point, though.