Heaven, Heartache And The Power Of Love

When an artist and a record company part ways, it usually means one thing: the artist is no longer selling albums and is more of a liability than an asset. The marriage between label and artist more often than not ends with a Greatest Hits disc, much like the one MCA Nashville recently released on Trisha Yearwood.

The difference between Yearwood and other artists who have split from their label homes, however, is that the blonde beauty is still a viable recording act. Her last studio album, the critically hailed Jasper County, was an exceptional release. In the end, leaving a giant conglomerate like Universal Music (MCA's mothership) for an independent powerhouse like Big Machine Records probably had more to do with creative control than discontentment.

Whatever reasons Yearwood had for changing labels, the singer's decision seems to have re-energized her. Heaven, Heartache And The Power Of Love, her first release for Big Machine, is a killer collection of contemporary country. Yearwood is born again: awash in a creative glow that is completely infectious. From the hardwood gouging title track, a jubilant honky tonk barn burner, to the disc's final cut "Sing You Back To Me," a yearning song sparsely arranged, Yearwood is at the top of her game.

The ballads on Heaven, Heartache And The Power Of Love are sumptuous. Yearwood spins her golden vocals around penetrating tracks such as the bombastic "This Is Me You're Talking To" and the pretty piano and steel imbued, "Help Me." The singer floats atop a fluffy cloud of strings on the latter and delivers an emotional performance that stands as one of her best. "Let The Wind Chase You," a number with whispering instrumentation, deals with letting go. Yearwood has a tear in her voice as she sets a past lover free.

Although the album is ballad heavy, it contains a few tracks to scuff your boots to. "They Call It Falling For A Reason" is a driving tune with a jacked-up backbeat and rhythm section that roars like a jet engine. "Not A Bad Thing" is a fun song with pumping percussion, organ, and bright acoustic guitars. A newly single woman learns to enjoy her own company as she sits in a coffee shop slugging down cups of joe, learning to live sans the one she thought she couldn't live without.

"Cowboys Are My Weakness" is a mid-tempo western swing number that showcases Yearwood's vocal range. The shuffling arrangement includes sawdust fiddle, brushes, and rubber stringed bass, and is thoroughly enjoyable. The song transports you back to a simpler time: a day and age when dirt floored saloons and spittoons were all the rage.

Anyone who thinks Yearwood's best days are behind her, will change their sour tune after they listen to Heaven, Heartache And The Power Of Love.

By Todd Sterling