M-M-M-Mel's little girl, with her big talent, strikes hit-making gold once again with this dandy CD. The album is chock full of mostly great songs that surely will help add to her whopping 17 top ten songs to date. Ironically after CO-writing many of her earlier hits, such as "Mi Vida Loca" and "Spilled Perfume," Pam has no self-penned songs on this disc. But she does help produce the album. And what an album it is.

First though, the small bad news that knocks one star of perfection off this album. The title cut is annoying shlock pop, and beneath Pam's stunning artistry. Why she picked this tune to record at ALL, much less make it the title cut, confounds this reviewer. Also, the engaging chorus of the silky tune "After Hours" is offset by an out-of-focus and almost gratingly out of rhythm chorus.

But that's all the bad news folks. And the other nine wonderful songs MORE than make up for it. Her current single, "I Said A Prayer," has an infectious neo-50's feel that recalls her earlier Jackie DeShannon-penned smash "When you Walk In the Room." This song also certainly demonstrates the colossal talent of writer Leslie Satcher, because this writer pulls a 180 and also wrote the countriest song on the album, the classic sounding "Whiskey On The Wound."

"You Put The Lonely In Me" is a stunning combo of clever lyrics and irresistible beat, as is the closing cut "A Great Disguise." "Hurt Myself" is a masterly moper from the 90's, urbanizing the female "poor Me" genre of songs, and "Not Me" is a hip flip side of that cut with the protagonist's refusal to put UP with what MAKES one mope anymore. Same for the sentiment in the bouncy "Lay The Heartache Down."

The album's high point is definitely the at once poetic AND fun tune, "A Whisper And A Scream." This song talks about the basic human condition of trying to just make it through life and love, and it contains one of the most killer lines heard by this reviewer in a long time. ". . . you shut down like a holiday." For all the wannabe female warblers out there, ladies, lines like THAT one are what country music's all about.