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The lighthearted genre-hopping suggests nothing so much as a Broadway smash about a restless country star, borrowing from many styles, beholden to none.
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Rimes illustrates her range as a singer along with some true strength as a writer, and they help make Family a canny blend of the commercial and the confessional--an album that feels heartfelt, yet is as accessible and enjoyable as her best records.
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The songs are uneven, but the peak is a duet with Mr. Nashville himself, Jon Bon Jovi.
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The result is the best, most cogent album of her career.
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True, she sometimes lays it on too thick: edging close to self-parody with bluesy groans and growls, or waxing inspirational (in 'Doesn’t Everybody') about our common need for love. She’s more convincing in 'What I Cannot Change,' a pretty, cello-driven ballad.
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A carefully manicured, but still lively assortment that highlights her substantial vocal strengths.
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Like most everything else about Family, it's a calculated risk that pays off.
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Entertainment WeeklyThroughout, Rimes displays new maturity in songwriting, though too often she lapses into posturing power pop. [19 Oct 2007, p.129]
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Two bonus cuts, 'Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore' with Bon Jovi and 'When You Love Someone Like That' with Reba McEntire, are icing on an immensely satisfying collection.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 10 out of 12
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Mixed: 0 out of 12
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Negative: 2 out of 12
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LynneKJun 21, 2009
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rogerc.Nov 5, 2007A brilliant beginning to an outstanding new decade of music from Ms. Rimes.
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erich.Oct 27, 2007Amazing vocals. Easily one of the years best cd's.