Single White Female (CD - 1999)

Personnel: Chely Wright (vocals); Dan Dugmore (acoustic slide & steel guitars); John Wills (acoustic guitar); Vince Gill (electric guitar, background vocals); Steve Gibson, Brent Mason, Pat Buchanan (electric guitar); Robby Turner (steel guitar); Stuart Duncan (mandolin, fiddle); Aubrey Haynie (fiddle); Matt Rollings (piano, Hammong B-3 organ, keyboards); John Hobbs (Hammond B-3 organ, keyboards); Randy McCormick, Steve Nathan (keyboards); Larry Paxton, Glenn Worf (bass); Paul Leim, Chad Cromwell (drums); Terry McMillan (percussion); Gary Burr, Liana Manis, Alison Krauss, Patty Loveless, Sonya Isaacs, Trisha Yearwood, Carmella Ramsey, Curtis Young, Kim Keyes, Dennis Wilson, John Wesley Ryles, Larry Marrs, Melonie Cannon Richardson (background vocals).

Producers: Tony Brown, Buddy Cannon, Norro Wilson.

Engineers include: Justin Niebank, Billy Sherrill, Butch Carr.

Recording information: Emerald Studio A; Emerald-Tacking Room; Sound Stage.

Photographer: Mark Tucker .

Chely Wright reunited with producer Tony Brown -- the man behind hit records by George Strait and Reba McEntire, as well as Wright's own Let Me In -- for her fourth album, Single White Female. The record picks up where its predecessor left off, offering a selection of ten songs with clean, tasteful arrangments that place Wright in the forefront. If the songs aren't always immediately grabbing, they're all classy, well-written tunes that slowly work their way into memory. Even when Wright and Brown shoot for the charts, such as on the big chorus of "The Love That We Lost," they pull it off, since Chely never oversings and the instrumentation is never bombastic. She still sounds her best on ballads, but her uptempo numbers -- including the clever title track and "The Fire" -- are equally convincing, which is one of the main reasons that Single White Female is a welcome addition to an already impressive catalog. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Despite winning the Academy of Country Music's Top New Female Vocalist of the Year trophy in 1994, Chely Wright has yet to become a household name. SINGLE WHITE FEMALE, Wright's fourth release, may be the album that does the trick. Featuring such guest artists as Trisha Yearwood, Patty Loveless, Vince Gill and Alison Krauss, SINGLE WHITE FEMALE is a solid collection of songs with traditional country themes, updated with a nineties twist. In the upbeat title track, the narrator is trying to attract that special someone--but she uses a personal ad to do it.

In the clever "Rubbin' It In," the singer suspects the entire world--including her cable company--of conspiring to remind her that her lover has dumped her. If SINGLE WHITE FEMALE is ballad-heavy, it's because Wright's voice seems particularly suited for intensely emotional material. She particularly shines on "Picket Fences"--a self-penned song about a woman who refuses to follow the traditional path of "get a job, say 'I do' and settle yourself down." With SINGLE WHITE FEMALE, Chely Wright proves that she's ready to take her place among the famous names that contributed to the making of the album. minimize