Pop

*** Jim Lauderdale, “Whisper,” BNA. The L.A.-bred, Nashville-based singer-songwriter, who has written hits for George Strait, Vince Gill and Patty Loveless, balances his deliciously left-field romantic viewpoint with characters and choruses that may at last allow his own work to click with mainstream fans. Singles hardly come catchier than the title track.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).