Gretchen Wilson
“All Jacked Up”
You only get one chance to make a first impression, and considering the success of her debut, “Here for the Party,” apparently Wilson made the right one. Of course, fame lowers the currency of her girl-next-door appeal a little, which could explain why Wilson decided to rush album No. 2 into stores. Yet Wilson’s world view is still very much of the blue-collar bent on “All Jacked Up.” In fact, she may even go a little overboard in trying to prove it. “All Jacked Up” and “One Bud Wiser” are fun but generic drinking songs, while “California Girls” is a reaffirmation of Wilson’s down-home values that mistakenly takes aim at an easy target: Hollywood celebrity. “Politically Uncorrect,” a duet with Merle Haggard, preaches to the converted by hitting every populist country cliche right in the bull’s eye. Wilson is actually at her best on the low-key likes of “I Don’t Feel Like Loving You Today” and “He Ain’t Even Cold Yet.” She may be the life of the party, but these closing-time ballads will cure a hangover.
Best track: “Skoal Ring,” in praise of men who chew tobacco.
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Edited by Curt Wagner ([email protected]) and Victoria Rodriguez ([email protected])