Where I Belong (CD - 2004)

Personnel: Rachel Proctor (vocals); Biff Watson (acoustic guitar); Kenny Greenberg, Troy Lancaster, J.T. Corenflos, Tom Bukovac, Brent Mason (electric guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Larry Franklin, Aubrey Haynie, Jonathan Yudkin (fiddle); Tim Akers (piano, keyboards); Lonnie Wilson (drums); Eric Darken (percussion); Darryl Worley, Hillary Lindsey, Jason Sellers, Karyn Rochelle, Kim Parent, Wes Hightower (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Greg Droman.

Recording information: Aimeeland, Brentwood, TN; Blackbird Studios, Nashville, TN; Ocean Way Recording Studios, Nashville, TN.

Photographer: Kristin Barlowe.

West Virginia singer Rachel Proctor may have scored a hit with her debut album, but hers is not an overnight success story. Proctor started singing country music and writing songs when she was still in her teens. After moving to Nashville, she played in a band with future star Blake Shelton and later had one of her songs cut by Martina McBride. All this experience surely went into the recording of WHERE I BELONG.

Proctor's first album finds her solidly on the contemporary side of country. There are some twangy guitars and weeping pedal-steel lines here and there, but arena-sized pop/rock and power balladry are dominant elements; Proctor sounds like she's listened to as much Elton John and Journey as anything out of Nashville. Nevertheless, she avoids gimmicky songs in favor of a more intimate approach. This is exemplified in the lyrics of "Me and Emily," a heartfelt song about a mother and her young daughter that sounds drawn from personal experience. With her pop smarts and down-home roots, the top of the country charts is clearly where Proctor belongs. minimize