The Color of Roses (Image, 2002)

Lorrie Morgan always has benefitted from a strong voice that could be alternately vulnerable or upbeat with the requisite emotion plus a slew of good songs to help her voice put them over.

But on this 19-song live set, featuring mainly a bunch of her hits and some generally well chosen hits, both Morgan and band sound remarkably inert. This is quite a surprise because in concert, Morgan possesses a lot of vocal energy and dynamism. In fact, there isn't a whole lot of difference between what is presented here and studio vesions of the same. The musicianship sounds quite pedestrian.

Of covers like "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" and "Fly Me to the Moon," the best is "Harper Valley PTA." It's twangy musically and vocally, and you could just imagine Morgan telling the PTA off herself in one of the great kiss-off songs. Morgan should keep it country instead of doing standards, which are okay, but no more exciting than that. Morgan possesses a great deal of talent. It's too bad she doesn't show it off to fine effect here.