Deana Carter gets a little help from her friends

The Chain

In one of the more unusual "Take Your Daughter To Work" days ever, Deana Carter resurrects the tunes that her father, Fred Carter, Jr. helped make famous. Mr. Carter has been a renowned session guitarist, and some of the songs here are amongst the best ever: "Good Hearted Woman", "Crying" and "The Boxer." Keeping true to the theme, though, is something of a cage. These songs almost assuredly would not be chosen for a "regular" covers record. ...

I'm Just a Girl

Deana Carter sports one of the few easily recognizable vocal stylists in today's mainstream country scene. Her voice is unmistakable, and the way she phrases is just as distinctive. Combine that with the ability to write, as she does with every song on this new album, and the result is a very strong entry. Carter doesn't write solo that often but she does collaborate with some very good people like Randy Scruggs, Matraca Berg and Dwight Yoakam, the latter of whom also provides a duet on "Waiting. ...

Father Christmas

Deana Carter's latest sounds like a good place to look for solid Christmas music. Her 10 new renditions of mostly time-tested tunes warms as well as a cracklin' fire. True, her voice could use more range. But not everyone can sing like Loretta, can they? Anyway, Carter coos her way through a bluesy "I'll Be Home For Christmas" to set a table that brims with chestnuts. Literally, as with her "A Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire." As with Bing Crosby's "White Christmas," not one ...