** Stacey Earle

DANCIN' WITH THEM THAT BRUNG ME

(Gearle)

Listening to Stacey Earle's second CD is like having a spirited, mildly intimate chat with an idealistic young soul. You learn a little bit about this lighthearted gal (Steve Earle's younger sister) with some Southern charm, but the lyrics and the experiences behind them are not all that profound or gripping. All the same, it's a sunny enough record. Her airy vocals have a sly way of moving from little-girl innocence to a tougher stance, and she occasionally sighs and lets a phrase drop like a dried rose petal from a diary. Earle, who has worked as a staff songwriter in Nashville, has the family knack for a well-turned phrase, as she displays on the best cut here, "No New Shoes." She surrounds herself with straight-ahead folk rock; the sound is so crystal clear on acoustic tunes that Mark Stuart's guitar pick sometimes scrapes across the strings at the same volume as the notes he strikes. Sheryl Crow guests on one cut, playing harmonium and piano and offering background vocals on a little lullaby called "Kiss Her Goodnight," and Earle offers a spirited rendition of brother Steve's "Promise You Anything."

-- Bill Kisliuk