Pam Tillis had an enviable challenge with
Homeward Looking Angel -- topping the critically acclaimed and commercially viable
Put Yourself in My Place, an album that spawned four Top Ten singles including "Don't Tell Me What to Do."
Tillis' pure, full-bodied country voice can be both a boon and a burden. Some tracks on
Angel seem cliché. On one cut, the retro "Do You Know Where Your Man Is," her genuinely throaty twang feels exaggerated to the point of annoyance. Yet other songs work seemingly effortless magic, including the sultry and sexy "Shake the Sugar Tree," and the wry and telling "Cleopatra, Queen of Denial." These songs, along with
Gretchen Peters' ballad "Let That Pony Run" and the title cut -- one of four written by
Bob DiPiero -- had no trouble finding their way to the chart heights of their predecessors and insuring
Tillis another hit recording. While it may not be as flawless as
Put Yourself in My Place,
Homeward Looking Angel is a very solid -- and at times even stellar -- successor; it should be seriously considered by anyone who is curious about her music.