Leave One Bridge Standing (River North, 1997)
Holly Dunn
Reviewed by Chuck Hamilton
Talk about a blown opportunity. When Holly Dunn got dropped from her major label and subsequently signed up with an indy, here was the chance to record some real kick-butt-and-take-names, no-apologies, country music.
That may still happen, but not on this album, an uneven effort, laden with generic-sounding country rock, the likes of which you can hear on the FM dial any time of day. If you like drums, you'll love this CD. They eclipse everything else here save Dunn herself. A couple of ballads, "We've Got the Love" and "Talking Goodbye", show Dunn at her songwriting best, but even they suffer from bland, pop-sounding arrangements. The album's most interesting cut, "Real Deal" has a Buddy Holly-type sound you don't hear very often.
Dunn, in the past has proven to be a capable singer and songwriter, so maybe she's in a creative slump here.
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