Latest releases reviewed

BUCK OWENS Live from Austin, Tx New West ***

While lots of folk cite him as a key influence - notably Dwight Yoakam, who is due to release a tribute album shortly - there's not an abundance of Buck Owens albums around compared to, for instance, Johnny Cash. This modest collection, recorded in 1988 for the Live from Austin TV show, was a comeback of sorts in that Owens had offically retired 10 years earlier, but Yoakam's constant citing of the importance of his Bakersfield sound inspired him to take the stage again. The 11 tracks include Act Naturally, Together Again, Love's Gonna Live Here, Crying Time and other high- lights from Owens's career. Yoakam joins him for Under Your Spell Again, on what was clearly an emotional night. At his peak, Owens was a country music giant when country music meant something. File under sentimental and worthy. www.livefromaustintx.com JOE BREEN

Download tracks: Act Naturally, Together Again, Hot Dog

REBA MCENTIRE Reba Duets MCA ***

You've got to admire Reba McEntire's resilience if nothing else. For more than 30 years, with sales in excess of 60 million copies, McEntire has been one of country music's leading women. However, her popularity has never crossed the Atlantic in the same way as, say, Dolly Parton's. McEntire's forte is the kind of Nashville pop ballad that rarely registers on my radar. For this collection, she has enlisted some very heavy hitters, from the unlikely Justin Timberlake (very good) and Don Henley (good) to Lee Ann Rhimes (predictable) and Vince Hill (predictably good). Other superior tracks include duets with Kelly Clarkson and Ronnie Dunn, yet it's all pretty much the soft belly of Nashville pop - in themselves not the worst tracks, but collectively it's close to an overdose. www.reba.com JOE BREEN

Download tracks: These Broken Hearts, The Only Promise That Remains, Because of You