COUNTRY
Sara Evans
"Real Fine Place." RCA. 13 tracks.
Grade: B-

Listening to a Sara Evans album is like listening to two different artists trapped on one CD. Luckily, they both have a powerhouse voice with just the right amount of twang.

(ENLARGE)
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The opening and closing tracks of "Real Fine Place" are telling examples of the two sides of Evans' musical personality.

"Coalmine" is a country stomper stuffed with fiddles and banjo. She extols the charms of her hard-working miner, preferring his gritty, straight-from-work self to the cleaned-up version.

At the other end, there's "These Four Walls." It's a syrupy ballad that, like "Coalmine," celebrates hard work. Unlike "Coalmine," it rings false. A woman who makes No. 1 hits is always going to have trouble selling lines like, "I'm not famous, but my kids think I'm a star." And "I may not be a model, but my man thinks I could be" is even more unbelievable on a disc that comes packaged with several slick photos of this stunning beauty from Missouri.

There's good and bad between those two extremes. Recent No. 1 country hit "A Real Fine Place to Start" is just a pop song dressed up in a few country accessories, but it's a killer pop song. Evans sings it with the gutsy power she brings to even the least of the tracks here. The thoroughly country "Cheatin' " is another winner.

On the other hand, "You'll Always Be My Baby" and "The Secrets That We Keep" are big, sugary ballads that are swimming in overbearing orchestration. The latter sounds so much like a Tim McGraw/ Faith Hill lovefest that it's sure to be a hit.

But Evans' voice makes even the ickiest medicine go down a lot easier.

—Shane Harrison