Greater Need (BNA, 1996)

Ever present on television, it's a wonder Lorrie Morgan had any time to record. Morgan's voice always has been her strength, often getting right at the heart of songs of heartbreak and loss, her signature. That is no different on this traditionally-oriented disc where Morgan's measured voice adds necessary emotion. The closing "Back Among the Living," of course, touches raw nerves left by the death of Morgan's husband Keith Whitley. Here, she moves beyond tragedy, coming off as a strong woman. Morgan more than holds her own on duets with Jon Randall (the first single "By My Side") and Vince Gill and Travis Tritt (the bluesy "Steppin' Stones"), singing with confidence here and elsewhere (the spare, but full sounding Cline-ish "Don't Stop in My World"). Morgan acquits herself quite well with a traditional country sound ("I Just Might Be" where she sings of a woman's self-confidence after a relationship falls apart). The low point is the pointless inclusion of Jesse Whitley, Morgan's son, singing very off key on "She Walks Beside the Wagon." Ubiquitous though she may be on the boob tube, Morgan clearly saved enough for disc.