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Kathie Baillie’s first solo album, Love’s Funny That Way, is a solid selection of straightforward country pop-rock and ballads that’s easy on the ears. Although, calling this a solo album might be a stretch: husband Michael Bonagura, who was another third of the trio from her Baillie and the Boys days, not only produced the album and helped pen four of the tracks, but played the guitar on every single cut and provided back up vocals on six of the ten songs. As if that weren’t enough, daughter Alyssa Bonagura helped provide vocals on eight of the tracks and co-wrote the final cut with mom, making the album a full-fledged family affair.

Baillie’s voice is pleasant and emotive, even if she does seem to peg at the redline too early in some of the songs, leaving no room to grow. But it’s a voice that, when at its best, calls up a plaintive Irish lilt (even though she credits the Italian singing of her grandmother as one of her early influences).

Notable cuts on the album include Baillie’s respectable cover of the title track. Penned by David Michael Tyson, Tina Arena and Dean McTaggart (and first made famous on Wynonna Judd’s 1997 The Other Side), Love’s Funny That Way is a great song with a strong beat, and Baillie sings it with feeling. Never Knew Lonely, a beautiful country ballad with a plaintive fiddle in the background, was written by Vince Gill, who also steps in to provide harmony vocals as well. Send a Message is almost pure pop with about two drops of country, but it builds and builds with a steady intensity, and daughter Alyssa’s harmony blends perfectly and adds a nice depth to the tune. All Fall Down rocks us gently in minor chords, with electric guitars and a small choir to boot.

This may not make many critic’s lists for must-have country CDs, but Baillie has a unique voice that’s worth a listen to see if it’s a good fit for you.