Trick Pony - R.I.D.E. (2005)

Trick Pony's third album finds them musically more varied and adventurous--covering Los Lonely Boys' "Senorita" and Bonnie Tyler's "It's a Heartache," and inviting Darius Rucker of Hootie and the Blowfish aboard the soulful "Sad City." But the band still suffers an identity crisis--whether to be a serious musical ensemble/honky-tonk presence under the lead of Keith Burns and Heidi Newfield, or to let the insufferable Ira Dean prank them into a crazy, fun-loving video band--that brands them as lightweights. And it doesn't help that they insist that R.I.D.E. stands for "Rebellious Individuals Delivering Entertainment," or that they sprinkle inane sound bites from George Jones between a couple of songs. That said, Newfield still belts a fine, honkin' attitude number ("Ain't Wastin' Good Whiskey on You"), and knows how to wring the emotion out of a heartbreak ballad ("When I Fall")--and Burns is both an affecting songwriter and occasional lead vocalist. Yet in the end, there's a desperation about this record, seen in the inclusion of 14 tracks when they should have gone lean, and in their inviting a plethora of big names (particularly Kris Kristofferson) to add legitimacy. How long these Ponies can continue to learn new tricks remains to be seen. --Alanna Nash