Julianne Hough (by Julianne Hough, Country)

Julianne Hough has a sweet voice and the support of an excellent band on her self-titled CD. She's also got good-ole-girl spunk to spare, nestled squarely in the country-pop genre. Her pleasant voice, spiced with searing guitar riffs and sparkling B-3 fills, deliver family-safe, Christianity-assumed lyrics. Themes of addiction abound; sometimes it's addiction to alcohol (as in "Help Me, Help You"), but more often it's addiction to love (as in just about every other track).

Julianne, a multitalented singer/actor/dancer (the type that often starts out as a singer/actor/dancer/waiter), does a credible job bringing empathy and substance to songs that, with a couple of exceptions, are catchy but formulaic. Obsessed with a retro and tiresome addiction to love ("I'd jump off a cliff, cliff, cliff just to kiss your pretty lips, lips, lips"), or a "girl, take care of yourself" message ("He's a stranger, but he's tall and he's cute; Girl, am I getting this right? Didn't we go over this ground last week?"), all slam their points home with sledgehammer subtlety.

One exception, "That Song in My Head," is a standout because rather than trying to express sweeping emotions with dramatic overkill, it describes one lovely moment in time: seeing a cute guy playing air guitar on the back of a pickup truck and not being able to get the image out of your mind. Who hasn't been there?

Released on: May 20, 2008
Genre: Country