With a pairing like ace songwriter Rodney Crowell and crystalline-tenored, jagged-riff twanger Vince Gill, you'd expect some fireworks. Those are sadly not in evidence on the 12 track release from the super duo. Along for the ride are hot shot producer Tony Brown handling piano and old colleagues Hank DeVito and Richard Bennett who were with Vince in Emmylou Harris' "Hot Band" when he was still an unknown commodity.

HIGHLIGHTS:
For the most part the songs that veer farthest afield of honky-tonk fare best. "Wait a Minute"'s call for forgiveness in the midst of relationship strife is a bit lightweight (Gill had a much better take on it with "Gimme Just One More Last Chance") but catchy and hummable, sounding not unlike a Traveling Wilburys outtake with just a dash of Tex-Mex influence. "Oklahoma Dust" is clearly a Buck Owens' homage and a well-done one as guitarist Bennett does his best Don Rich impersonation. The sole exception to the 'fast songs are best' rule here is jokey weeper "It's Hard to Kiss the Lips at Night that Chew Your A** Out all Day Long". The hook is so clever and undeniable that it escapes the stupidity in the use of the phrase "disses" from someone Gill's and Crowell's age.

LOWS:
"If I Ever Break Your Heart" is a dull string of cliches every bit as yawn-inducing as the latest Nashville assembly line hat act number.

BOTTOM LINE:
It only really catches fire thrice...far from enough to justify purchasing this dud.

I bought this album after listening to the first few songs.

The first 1/3 seems more rock & roll then country -- and that's the part I like. The second 2/3rds of this album is a bit to country for me.

The entire album is good. Every song is unique, fun to listen to, and has an original sound. We especially love Rodney Crowel's simpler than Urban's version of "Making Memories of Us". I loved this song the first time I heard it done by Keith Urban on CMT, and noticed that Crowel wrote it and knew he'd had to have done his own recording of it. But the reason we bought the Cd was the "Kiss the Lips" song that the radio won't play. My husband absolutely loves that song.

As a real hard-core Vince Gill Fan, I've been wanting this CD for awhile now and finally got it for Christmas. What a fabulous collection of music! The talent on this CD is incredible; it makes you want to sing along, to dance, to stop and just listen, and of course, to laugh. I can't go from one room to the other without bringing it with me to play!

this is the best album with the most talented guys of country music - my husband is a radio dj in Dunedin (NZ) and I can tell you this is a very popular album with us South Islanders!! I personally think these guys have just got quality and wow can't wait for another CD!!