Now

1	There's More to Me Than You 3:46
2	When Gentry Plays Guitar 3:45
3	I Wish for You 4:07
4	To Love You Once 3:55
5	I Bring It to You 3:35
6	Never Be Forgotten 3:48
7	They Are the Roses 4:11
8	Sunshine and Love 4:11
9	You're the Man (That Brings the Woman Out of Me) 4:12
10	Cowboy Guarantee 5:01
11	Now 4:47
12	Second Sunday 3:32
13	Windows on a Train 3:57
14	God Don't Give Up on Us 4:07
15	Good Time 4:26
16	There's More to Me Than You Version 7:16

Barnes & Noble

A mere lass of 19, Jessica Andrews projects wisdom beyond her years on her third album -- and a natural-gal sultriness to boot. Bursting with joy and energy, Andrews turns in a set of quality material: She co-wrote a few of the songs, picked some others from top-flight Nashville writers, and enlisted Byron Gallimore (Tim McGraw's co-producer) to dress them up with a punchy country-pop sound and soaring orchestral backdrops. Even so, Andrews's calling card remains her singing, as she demonstrates a better feel for subtler shades of emotion than she did on her first two albums. The restraint she brings to "They Are the Roses," a reminder that children are the future and should be treasured as such, is an impressive and ideal counterpoint to music that booms and subsides as the story unfolds. Equally eye- and ear-opening is the roiling, self-affirming "There's More to Me Than You," on which she belts, coos, and flat-out rocks, complemented by a stinging electric guitar and hammering, relentless percussion. There's a hint of hip-hop and overt western swing references -- via fiddle and pedal steel -- to the lusty "Second Sunday," wherein Andrews delivers a carefree, breathy vocal that articulates the overflowing passion of which she sings. Piano and synths define a grand and moving musical backdrop that sets up a tenderly rendered plea for peace and salvation in the socially conscious "God Don't Give Up on Us." No mere eye candy, Andrews shows a lot of growth on Now, and it's in the service of songs with depth and heart. David McGee

All Music Guide

Facing 20, Jessica Andrews decides to open her music on her third album, Now. Her hold to country was always a little tentative, particularly because it seemed like she was signed partially because she was a teenage girl who could really sing during the height of LeAnn Rimes' popularity. Like Rimes, Andrews wants to leave strict country behind as she leaves her adolescence, but unlike LeAnn, Jessica sounds in control, having a clear idea of who she is musically and where she wants to go. Now is grounded in country, along with other American roots music, but it's held together with an inclusive pop sensibility and a polished, professional production that nevertheless retains its identity and keeps the focus on Andrews, whose voice sounds stronger and better than ever. If initial comparisons to Rimes did not fall to her favor, she now sounds more versatile and assured than her peer, but she goes even further with Now, crafting an album that straddles the country-pop and adult-pop line as alluringly as the best of Faith Hill, whose Cry pales in comparison to this record. Why? Because this is never stifled by diva ambitions. Because this has up-tempo and mid-tempo songs with character and color, along with catchy hooks. Because the ballads, while slick, still have substance. Ultimately, because Andrews is a hell of singer, finding her own distinctive voice and coming into her own, somewhere between Faith Hill and Sheryl Crow. If the production ever so slightly is a little too mature, a little older than her years, it's only appropriate because her voice sounds older than her years. But even if this does have an adult-pop bent, it's still done better than nearly any other adult-pop in 2003, and the times that Now does loosen up offer tantalizing possibilities of where Andrews could go next. And, no matter which way you cut it, as of this writing Now is one of the best mainstream pop albums of 2003, with only Kelly Clarkson's Thankful rivaling it in consistency and quality. Stephen Thomas Erlewine