Between Now and Forever (Asylum, 1996)

No sophomore jinx for the youthful Bryan White, who emerged back from the pack on his debut. But that's not necessarily good. Everything sounds pleasant enough, even catchy (the lead-off "Sittin' on Go" and "Blindhearted," which he co-wrote). White is likely to ride the charts for quite awhile. The problem is White's smooth, pretty voice never really sinks into the material.

There's just too much gloss on the type of pop-oriented disc drawing the ire of traditionalists. And while Nashville's best, of course, are present, the result is a manufactured, tacked-on feel (Paul Franklin's pedal on "Still Life"). Did anyone hear of inspired playing or production (Billy Joe Walker Jr. and Kyle Lehning)? Everything pretty much stays in the same mid-tempo, formulaic mould. For now, this album just doesn't cut it, but whether that will be the case forever is up to White and his handlers.