Search - Chely Wright :: Single White Female

The hooks are so catchy here, the playing so impeccable, and Chely Wright sings in such an engagingly warm twang (it's reminiscent of the more nuanced singing Reba did when she still had a last name) that you can't help but be disappointed with the results. Virtually every song effervesces with a memorable melody and clever idea, then fizzles. The title track wants to advertise a woman's romantic dreams but fails to mention even one of them. "Unknown" gets a bit more specific, but what it says about its singer is so superficial--she drinks coffee black, she sings when she drives--that unknown is precisely what her character remains. Wright makes the most of this unrevealing material, but you mainly suspect she could do much better. And when you hear her question her faith on the closing "Why Do I Still Want You," you're sure of it. --David Cantwell