Dirt [Audio CD] Mark Selby

As the title suggests, blues-rocker Mark Selby digs a little deeper for his sophomore solo album and comes up with the goods. The strengths of his previous album, 2000's More Storms Comin', are all present, and his songwriting has acquired more depth and maturity. Selby knows his strong points, and things kick in right away with "Reason Enough." The second song, "Back to My Heart," is something of a power ballad--a daring move, but Selby makes it work. "Willin' to Burn" grooves hard enough to power a V-8 engine. On the slower material, though, Selby still seems a bit self-conscious. Although he hits all the right notes, one doesn't always get the impression that he's writing from experience. On the other hand, the more uptempo material, such as "Unforgiven" and "Moon over My Shoulder," is so tasty that you might not care. There's no question that Selby can rock out. Think how great it would be to hear him really cut loose. --Genevieve Williams