Room to Breathe

1	Secret / Phil Collins 3:22
2	If I Had Any Sense Left at All / Phil Collins 4:00
3	My Sister 3:59
4	Once You've Learned to Be Lonely 4:28
5	Moving Oleta 3:27
6	Love Revival 4:07
7	He Gets That From Me 3:39
8	I'm Gonna Take That Mountain 3:24
9	Room to Breathe 3:31
10	Sky Full of Angels 2:51
11	Somebody 3:50
12	It Just Has to Be This Way / Vince Gill 3:48

Barnes & Noble

On Room to Breathe, one of strongest albums of her estimable career, Reba McEntire rises to the challenge, and then some, posed by a dozen vivid songs about love and loss. Stylistically she's edging more into Wynonna's R&B turf with house wreckers such as the gospel-flavored barn burner "Love Revival," with its propulsive rhythm track and sanctified female chorus answering her forceful wails. But the most nuanced performances are saved for the introspective numbers, rich country tales all. "Once You've Learned to Be Lonely" alternately soars and grinds, with a steel guitar sending up eerie moans as McEntire erupts with a plaintive cry from deep inside a broken heart. A booming band, supplemented by a soft, rising wash of synths and serpentine steel lines, sets the dramatic backdrop for "If I Had Any Sense At All," as McEntire bemoans "the darkness reaching in" as a love affair fades out -- everywhere but in her own heart. On an upbeat note, a vibrant, funky groove establishes the celebratory mood for "My Sister," a valentine to a beloved sibling that is intimate in its reflections and heartfelt in its sincere expression of familial bonding. The masterpiece here -- and it is that -- is "Moving Oleta," which whispers and roars in observing the wrenching details of an elderly couple's struggles with declining health and diminished capacity, and the power of love in keeping the bond between them strong nonetheless. McEntire digs in, and whether she's sending up a howling protest or softly drawling the key lyric, "Love is a hard, hard road," she makes a deeply felt point as only Reba McEntire can. Room to Breathe has the ring of truth about it, and that's hard to come by. David McGee

All Music Guide

Four years seems to have done Reba McEntire some good. On her first studio album in four years, she resurrects her passion for country music that seemed to have been missing on her previous album. She sings all 12 tracks like she's happy to be home in country music. From the longing of "My Sister" to the soulfulness of the title track, McEntire reminds listeners why they missed her. She's always good for the affecting story-songs and doesn't disappoint with "Moving Oleta" and "Somebody." And what's a Reba album without the lovely Linda Davis on background harmony vocals or a duet with country music faithful Vince Gill? (Think 1992's "The Heart Won't Lie.") You'll find many of the old staples here, but you'll also get a revitalized and cool-sounding Reba. ~ Maria Konicki Dinoia, All Music Guide