The Road Less Traveled

Glenna Bell kicks off The Road Less Traveled with the country-folk tinged "Outside the Bars," a lyric filled with melancholy reflection. "Outside the Bars" sets the pace for a sparsely arranged album with a couple of guest appearances, mostly self-penned songs, and renditions of two classics. "The East Side" is a long ballad (probably too long) sung with deep-voiced Johnny Bush (he wrote "Whisky River"). While Bell handles these songs well vocally, both maintain stolid pacing that grows somewhat dreary after the two-minute mark. This is likewise true of "Can't Get My Mind off You," even with the addition of electric guitar, and "The Texas Aggies Win Again." Bell offers her versions of two classic country songs, Willie Nelson's "Family Bible," and Billy Edd Wheeler and Jerry Leiber's "Jackson," which are programmed back to back. While both are handled effectively, it is hard to better Johnny Cash and June Carter's version of "Jackson." Bell attempts to add humor on "How I Found out I'm Insane," though the song seems a poor fit with the other material. Overall, The Road Less Traveled does offer a good introduction to Bell's potential as a country singer, though both the songs and arrangements fall short of that potential. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., Rovi