Pain to Kill

Canadian songstress Terri Clark has successfully made the transition from country girrrl hitmaker to serious singer/songwriter without losing her considerable attitude or, for that matter, her commercial viability, as evidenced by this record's debut single, the feisty "I Just Wanna Be Mad." It's an accessible theme delivered with style, as are the banjo-driven "Three Mississippi" and the rambunctious country-rock title cut. Clark has some choice songs to work with here, and the sequencing is well-paced, with the breezy leavin' cuts "I Just Called to Say Goodbye" and "Almost Gone" juxtaposed against tender, yet raw, emotional ballads like "The One You Love" (artfully penned by Clark and Gary Burr) and gently thrumming primo country "Better Than You." Clark shines vocally throughout, never more than on the stoic "Not a Bad Thing" and spare "The First to Fall." Byron Gallimore's producer's instincts are without fault, and Clark's vocals are inspired on what may be her best record to date.—RW