Exuberant, self-assured newcomer, Rebecca Lynn Howard, makes a memorable impression with her newly-released, self-titled debut album on MCA. Howard, a singer-songwriter whose compositions have been cut by Patty Loveless, Reba McEntire, John Michael Montgomery, and Lila McCcann among others, describes her first release as “kind of rock ’n’ roll meets bluegrass meets R&B meets country.”

Howard’s powerful voice swings deftly between classic country and contemporary pop. Her traditional country renditions such as “Jesus, Daddy and You” and “Was it as Hard to Be Together” are wonderfully compelling and intriguing. Had she given the two numbers the full-bore “twang” treatment, well, they could easily be the stuff classics are born of.

The opening cut, "Heartsounds," is a bouncy, radio-friendly number with the requisite, suggestive oohs and aahs. The following number, “I Don’t Paint Myself Into Corners,” is one of the superior numbers on the CD with well-crafted metaphors and plaintive, yet defiant lyrics.

In some numbers, “Out Here in the Water,” for example, Howard is sultry and sexy, while in others such as “You’re Real,” and “You’re Not a Memory Yet,” she vocally exudes a wide-eyed, childlike sense of wonder and innocence. The album includes a number co-written by the great Harlan Howard, “Melancholy Blue,” a restless, girl-looking-for-adventure-in-love-and-life tune, “Move Me,” and a big heartbreak ballad, “Believe it or Not.” The CD closes with a rousing, uptempo finale, “Tennesse in my Windshield.”

“I’ve tried to create my own sound,” says Howard, who co-wrote 10 of the 12 songs on the album. She has succeeded admirably with a package full of fresh, diverse and satisfying material that should easily stand out among current Nashville offerings.

Mountain West Music 2002