Sara Evans's 1997 debut, Three Chords and the Truth, seemed, on first hearing, impossible. Here was a major-label Nashville album that, once again, faithfully captured the heartbreaking simplicity of classic country; here was a singer who could belt out with raw nerve and then slip low into deep smokiness. Evans's RCA follow-up is nearly as good, even as it leaves that hard country sound for a more radio-friendly, rocking edge.
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