BlackHawk (Arista, 1995)

After an excellent bluegrass-meets-southern-rock debut album, BlackHawk returns with a disc that leans more toward southern rock, but still emphasizes Henry Paul's ragged lead vocals and the group's three-part harmonies. Once again, they've come up with some great songs, too. Jeff Black, who wrote "That's Just About Right," contributes "King of the World," a similarly spiritual song about a man who needs nothing but independence and his own peace of mind.

In the midtempo "Almost a Memory Now," like "I Sure Can Smell the Rain," the singer laments the impending end of a relationship, but "Like There Ain't No Yesterday," which should be a great single to blast on a car stereo, finds him ready to love again. Unfortunately, the lyrics of several songs, like the meaningless "A Kiss Is Worth a Thousand Words" and the sub-par Dennis Linde cut "Hook, Line and Sinker," do not meet the standard of their debut.

Still, BlackHawk is one of country's most distinctive bands, and even when the lyrics are silly, their music is energetic and enjoyable.