Wild Angels (RCA, 1995)

McBride flew sky high last year with "Independence Day" and a slew of other hits from "The Way That I Am." The follow-up, released Sept. 26, finds McBride likely to garner a heap of airplay, although with just a little growth. Of course, her powerful voice with its slight rough quality is intact. The disc begins promisingly enough with the laugh of her baby daughter Delaney and guitar on the radio-ready title track and "Safe in the Arms of Love," with some nice mandolin picking, but too much of McBride's third disc sounds a bit formulaic ("All the Things We've Never Done"), particularly in the musical arrangements. She doesn't conquer anything radical here. Nor does she hit any social themes as she did last time out. Still, there are songs to recommend, including the bouncy, bluesy "Two More Bottles of Wine"and "Cry on the Shoulder." In fact, there really aren't any duds here, although a few ballads come close. The angels probably will be watchng over the talented singer to keep her riding high on the charts for the next year.