I Need You

In which LeAnn finally abandons her country roots and makes a play for the anaemic end of the MOR pop market, from Nashville to Trashville, as it were. If you have a radio you are definitely on nodding terms with the hit single 'Can't Fight The Moonlight' and that's a fair warning of the predictable mix of charmless, harmless cliches waiting to ambush on I Need You.

For this is a prime slice of conveyor belt pop-making American style, with all the required ingredients, a cute inoffensive voice, vacuous songs about nothing much, fake emoting, and careful avoidance of anything remotely original. The opening track and second single 'I Need You' brings that radio commercial about the Celine Dion nightmare to mind, a fine example of how Ms Rimes' expressionless voice leeches the substance out of everything her tonsils touch.

Even the appearance of Queen Elton and a big-haired female choir on 'Written On The Wind' can't stop it from ending up as a sub-Abba workout that Steps wouldn't even allow on their tour bus. 'You Are' funks it up, but only a notch, and the slightly less obvious 'But I Do Love You' is several layers of irony short of Alanis, and when she tries to rock out on 'Love Must Be Telling Me Something' she doesn't even make the starting line.

LeAnn Rimes may be only 18 but she should be able to come up with something more substantial than this blonde bland pap. Yes, she might need you, but sure as hell you don't need this.