Exception To The Rule (Asylum, 1998)

There's certainly nothing exceptional about Greg Holland's second offering, title notwithstanding. Absolutely nothing stands out thatwould make one remember Holland over any of a number of other new, young artists that all sound too much alike. Forgettable ballads are evenly inter- spersed with uptempo tunes that are even more forgettable.

The faster numbersare obviously meant to be popular with the same crowd that made "Achy BreakyHeart" and "Boot Scoot Boogie" hits. One can almost hear the line dance crowdmaking up new dances named after "What's a Good Ol' Boy To Do" or "Divine Intervention." And who had the wisdom to have the album lead off with it's worst track, the wretched "Primitive Man," a track that's as bad as countrymusic can get?

Holland can't shoulder all the blame, though. Since he only co-wrote one song, there's a host of other guilty parties involved in this production. Were these songs cranked out of a boiler-room song factory byworkers being paid piecework? Most surprising is that Don Cook, a producer who's done some great work with other artists, including Brooks & Dunn and WadeHayes, produced this. Cook must've had a bad week. Bet on this CD to seta record for shortest time from "New Release" to "Cut-Out." A real stinker.