It's Not About You (Rounder, 2003)

They always seem to come in threes - at least with female country groups, that is. Maureen, Karen and Teresa Ennis are from Newfoundland, Canada, and create three-part (female) harmony country music. And while this trio's acoustic sound avoids many of the pop and rock pitfalls that spoil even SHeDAISY's best efforts, songs on its new album aren't anywhere close to the quality of the Dixie Chicks' most recent material.

Too many times here, tracks like "It's Not About You" come off a little like female empowerment slogans from a Lifetime Channel movie. The lyrics state a simple truth, then repeat it to the point of tedium over a punchy, staccato beat. The sisters are far more effective when they slow things down, as with the gentle fiddle-driven "All Over Again," or reach for the easy going twang of "Turn Up The Radio." What's woefully missing here, however, is even the hint of storytelling. For example, when the Dixie Chicks sing a song like "Travelin' Soldier," the listener is introduced to real people, with real problems, rather than the simplified generalizations comprising most of this. "It's Not About You," is pretty, but shallow.