Show Me How (Image, 2004)

Lorrie Morgan's career may have enjoyed a higher profile, but that shouldn't be because of albums like this. The sexy blonde generally hits the mark.

What sets Morgan apart and always has is her singing ability. She got strong pipes time and again and uses them to good effect throughout. That's particularly true on the uptempo numbers such as the lead off "Do You Still Wanna Buy Me That Drink (Frank)" where she plays a strong twice-divorced woman with two teens to raise and meets a man in a bar. Morgan knows how to pick fun songs like that and "Bombshell" where she puts a lot of twang in her honky tonk voice. She also does real well with her lone composition, "Charlie and Betty," about a couple with problems that ends in death. After all of Morgan's trials and tribulations in life, it's no wonder she plays the strong woman. She gathers the strength to break up with "I Can Count On You," a piano-based ballad.

That Morgan's use is put to good effect amidst the generally good material ("Show Me How" is too poppy and generic with synthesizers to boot, and the slower songs sound a bit generic) should come as no surprise because she returned to her former producer Richard Landis, who was there in her "Something in Red" and "Watch Me" days. He apparently knows what works. And he and Morgan do that most of the time.