So Good Together (MCA, 1999)

After two decades plus in the business, Reba McEntire has apparently about said it all musically. Bottom line: her latest has nothing new. That's evident from the heavy handed opener, "We're So Good Together," with its emphasis on the pop, tangentially country sound of big drums and guitars.

McEntire restrains herself on the following "Til I Said It To You," far more tender, but nothing out the ordinary. That about sums up the album. McEntire has a fine, strong, clear voice. She holds notes well, but there is so precious little to get excited about ("I'm Not Your Girl" is a particular snoozer). And, of course, it's barely country, ending with Boz Scaggs' "We're All Alone."

The backing musicians sound uninspired, playing with little enthusiasm and very predictably (strings, for example, the break-up song "Back Before the War"). Apparently four different production teams could not light a fire under them. It's as if McEntire has entered the coasting zone of her career, hitting the pop button and is happy with that. Unfortunately for McEntire, that doesn't make for a good album.