TOMMY SHANE STEINER
Then Came The Night (RCA)
Reviewed by Erick Mertz

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Tommy Shane Steiner's newest album Then Came The Night is ideal fare for heavy rotation on CMT or any of those country stations that tune perfectly in the car regardless of the driver's distance from civilization. With songs of simpleminded country boys, small town characters and the doe eyed bliss of falling in love with the girl next door, Steiner plays the role of the contemporary clean cut cowboy to a T. Tracks like "That Just Wouldn't Be Me" and "Havin' A Good Time" are fun and demonstrate a sense of humor, but they don't have enough substance to stick. Randy Travis appears as a guest on Then Came The Night for the soft ballad "I Don't Need Another Reason" as does Bridgette Wilson-Sampras on "What We're Gonna Do About It" (a song about meeting at Starbucks in Atlanta no less!). Otherwise, the songs are a mishmash of nothing in particular country rock from an artist who seems content to play up to the cliches of his genre.

© 2002 - Erick Mertz