I have been a big fan of a lot of "Sammy Kershaw's" work so far. I love his cut-to-the-quick, almost "talking" songs, like "Politics, Religion And Her" and " Haunted Heart;" his earthy trash-power songs like " Queen Of My Double Wide Trailer;" and most of all, his killer cajun rockers like "Vidalia." Unfortunately he has lately taken to grating, horrible ballads, such as the recently unfortunate smash, "Love of My Life," which has become so pervasive on country radio, that I start to to hate everyone who sings them no matter how much I love other work of theirs.

Hence, I came into Mr. Kershaw's latest disc with a lot of trepidation. However, as opposed to the shattering disappointment that "Lonestar's" latest work is when I expected SO much, I expected an album full of mostly crap from Mr. Kershaw as well. I am happy to say this disc is full of some nice surprises. But, I am afraid there is plenty of crap here too unfortunately.

If you are one of the people, who for some insane reason MADE that sorry tune "Love of My Life" the smash it was, RUN out and get this album immediately, because the songs "Love me, Loving You," "I've Never Gone This Far Before" and "When You love Someone," certainly replicate the generic, superficial effect of that song. As I said in last month's review of the worthy new Lorrie Morgan album, her and Mr. Kershaw's duet isn't necessarily a BAD song, but I would expect more than this lightweight tune from two artists capable of much more - especially if ONE of them is going to make it a TITLE cut. But, let's go to the positives. There are indeed three wonderful songs of the ballad variety here that do not rot the teeth or try the patience. " Without Strings" is a wonderfully worded song "Imagine a symphony or tennis shoes without strings. . ." about a woman's refusal to commit. "How Can I Say No" is a great song, gorgeously delivered, and "Look At What I Did To us," a song about divorce, presented as a phone call to upset family members, is a real winner.

On the uptempo side, "Me And Maxine" is a hoot of a song about getting together from a very young age that recalls George Strait's "Check Yes Or No." "More Than I can Say" is indeed an odd choice, being a remake of the Leo Sayer disco hit, but I applaud Mr. K's moxie to record such a chance-taking cover, even if I don't think I get it.

Unfortunately, this album's slice of cajun, "Louisiana Hot Sauce," is certainly no "Vidalia, and is flatter than tabasco-less Gumbo. However the highlight of this pleasant CD is the killer final track, "How Much Does The World Weigh," a song about the travails of an alcoholic's loved ones that definitely should be this album's next single.

No "Haunted Heart" or ".. Double Wide Trailer" here, but certainly a much more listenable effort than I feared from Mr. K. Next time, please Sammy, continue this pattern of more homey-ness and heat instead of more whiney hokum to the hilt.