Burn (CD - 2000)

Personnel: Jo Dee Messina, Tim McGraw (vocals); John D. Willis, Biff Watson, Larry Byrom (acoustic guitar); Brent Mason, B. James Lowery, Michael Landau (electric guitar); Byron Gallimore (electric 12-string guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Aubrey Haynie (fiddle, octave fiddle); S. Kirk Johnson, Steven R. Conn (accordion); Steve Nathan (keyboards); Mike Brignardello (bass); Lonnie Wilson (drums); Kim Parent, Ralph Friedrichson, Curtis E. Young, Gene Miller, Lisa Bevill, John W. Ryles, Chris Rodriguez (background vocals).

Recorded at Ocean Way, Nashville, Tennessee.

"That's The Way" was nominated for the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.

"Bring On The Rain" was nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals.

Personnel: Larry Byrom, Biff Watson, John D. Willis (acoustic guitar); Michael Landau (electric guitar, bass guitar); Brent Mason (electric guitar); Byron Gallimore (electric 12-string guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar, drums); Aubrey Haynie (fiddle); Steve Nathan (keyboards); Lonnie Wilson (drums); Gene Miller, Kim Parent, Lisa Bevill (background vocals).

Photographer: Ron Davis.

Co-producers Tim McGraw and Byron Gallimore struck gold on Burn, Jo Dee Messina's third offering for Curb, and her last for five solid years. The formula on her first two offerings, her self-titled debut (1996) and I'm Alright (1998), seemed to work, and the pair didn't tinker with it all that much, except for the fact that the pair could see the bend in the road where the fork between contemporary country and slick adult pop came together and they met it head on. Given the monster set of contralto pipes that Messina possesses, it didn't matter; she crossed over into the pop mainstream anyway. The hits here include the awesome "These Are the Days," written by Holly Lamar and Stephanie Bentley, which wound layers of acoustic guitars, pedal steel, and a soaring harmonica that filled the center as fiddles and mandolins colored the backdrop. Messina expressed the "never say die" philosophy in the song with hunger and verve, putting it across with conviction and even a little mischievous delight. The title track is a love song like no other she'd recorded before. Its ringing guitars and nearly urban R&B bassline carried the monochromatic melody line into deep emotional territory, and once more Messina put the song across as if she'd lived it all, asking the question "Do you want to be a soldier, for love?" with all the authority necessary to communicate it to fans. "Dare to Dream" is such a straight-up pop/rocker it's a wonder it wasn't on every Top 40 station simultaneously. The album opens with the killer single "Downtime," which defines the heart of contemporary country: its themes of determination in the face of adversity, the belief in true love as a redemptive force, and a musical backdrop that is equal parts pop, country, and the light rock that powered the 1970s. There's even a more convincing argument for rock on the set in the Roy Hurd and Templeton Thompson tune "Nothing I Can Do," which has a near thundering guitar riff in the verse. Burn is a kind of small masterpiece that never dates, despite its occasionally sugary sound and very slick production; it's a testament to the vocal prowess of Messina, who is able to convey even the most ordinary lyrics with authority. Of the recordings she issued between her debut and 2005's Delicious Surprise, Burn remains her finest moment. ~ Thom Jurek

BURN, Jo Dee Messina's follow-up to her breakthrough CD I'M ALRIGHT fairly bursts with joyful energy. Unsurprisingly, considering that in the two years between the CDs, Messina pulled herself out of bankruptcy and found both record-breaking chart success and love. If you're looking for heartbreak here, you're in the wrong place. Nearly every track on BURN is celebratory and upbeat, both lyrically and musically.

In song after song, Messina exhorts her fans to seize the moment ("Dare to Dream," "These Are the Days"), better their situations ("Angelene"), give themselves over to love ("If Not You," "Closer"), or believe that things will get better ("Downtime," "That's the Way"). Messina's powerful alto has never sounded better, and Tim McGraw's impeccable, acoustic guitar-heavy production rocks without being too slick. McGraw pops up as a guest vocalist on the CD's mesmerizing, stripped-down closing track, "Bring On the Rain," a song about--what else--triumphing over life's adversities. But the CD's centerpiece is the title track, which sets a delicate, poetic lyric against a passionate, power-ballad chorus. Messina's relentless exuberance makes BURN a love letter from a survivor who made it through--and wants you to join her. minimize