Burn

Messina takes Donny and Marie’s little-bit-country-little-bit-rock’n’roll formula to its logical conclusion. A collection of uplifting somebody-done-somebody-wrong songs, Burn finds Messina hanging her comely drawl (not bad for a Massachusetts girl) on superslick hooks. Though her no-nonsense alto is a marvel, Nashville’s current fixation with ’80s pop (blame Billy Joel–lovin’ Garth Brooks) makes “Dare to Dream” sound like Genesis’ “Invisible Touch” and “Saturday Night” sound like Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl.” Hey, she just sings ’em.