Kasey Chambers

Aussie Kasey Chambers polishes her country-dipped roots. Shifting away from the twang of her earlier records, she still croons as if she hailed from the Texas hill country. But many of the songs, such as "Like a River," veer closer to Faith Hill territory than the alt country that's earned her platinum success Down Under.

In New South Wales as in Nashville, heart tuggers are hard to get right ("Pony," "Guilty as Sin"). (Grade - ***)