Doin Somethin Right

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With his sophomore release, the Georgia singer reinforces the trend toward redneck beefcake, matching a bare-chested sleeve photo with material such as the album-opening "I Wanna Be a Hillbilly" (apparently a hillbilly with a penchant for screaming, arena-rock guitars). He engages in some pillow talk with the breathy balladry of "Must Be Doin' Somethin' Right" and takes a turn toward a dreamier romanticism with "She's Got a Way With Me," featuring vocal support from Michael McDonald. A straightforward revival of Kenny Rogers's "Lucille" connects country present with country past, while the reggae tinge of "Little Bit Lonely" jumps on the contemporary country & Caribbean boat. The genial charm that he brings to mid-tempo fare such as "Good Directions" (despite its hackneyed story of the city girl who falls for the country hunk), "That Changes Everything," and "Here I Am" suggests that Currington is more engaging when he isn't trying so hard to be so sexy. --Don McLeese