is young, pretty, and sassy, everything that a mainstream singer should be in the mid-2000s, at least in marketing terms. If that's all that she was, she'd be the equivalent of the crass -- a good-looking empty space, eager to shill for anybody who looks his way -- but has a powerful, bluesy voice and a genuine charisma on record that makes her 2005 debut, , a pretty cool little record. She's not immune to a lot of the trends of modern -- in fact, she's not a -styled diva, she's a creature of the post- world, where female singers are encouraged to be a little rowdy, have some twang in both their voice and music. And while she indulges in a little bit of name-dropping associations -- just like how knows the words to every song on listens to , , and on different tracks -- she's far removed from 's calculated, gonzo hucksterism. Instead, with the assistance of producers and , that mildly wild spirit is channeled into a disciplined Nashville production that's canny enough to keep loose and lively, and have the music be just as vigorous. It's well-crafted, built upon a strong set of songs, and it pulls off the nifty trick of being classic Nashville product yet fresh and vibrant, due to 's consistently engaging performances. The result is a fun, infectious first album that, like 's similar debut, announces the arrival a potentially major star. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine