Clint Black’s Newest Album Another Disappointment

Clint Black “Nothin’ but the Taillights” RCA, 47 minutes

There was a time when a new Clint Black album was a major event. His stellar 1989 debut, “Killin’ Time,” created a stir for his second effort, 1990’s wonderful “Put Yourself in My Shoes,” and instantly Black was an artist to be reckoned with.

But by 1992’s “The Hard Way,” the Texan had married Hollywood TV actress Lisa Hartman and become embroiled in a bitter split with his manager, Bill Ham. That record also triggered his descent into radio pablum. The earthy, stone-country singer-songwriter had been replaced by a slick, pop-fueled tunesmith more concerned with toning his pecs than flexing his honky-tonk muscles.

Every album since, especially 1994’s “One Emotion,” has been a disappointment - as is “Nothin’ but the Taillights.” Fueled by “Still Holding On,” a tepid duet ballad with label mate Martina McBride, “Taillights” meanders through a batch of languid, keyboard-heavy songs better suited for ‘70s pop radio than traditional country outlets.

Particularly bad is “Something That We Do,” a James Taylor-inspired ballad written with Skip Ewing that boasts lyrics so insipid they’re senseless: “Love is certain, love is kind, love is yours and love is mine/But it isn’t something that we find/it’s something that we do.”

Even when he tries for a rougher sound during the chugging “Loosen Up My Strings” and the bluesy “Bitter Side of Sweet,” he comes up with calculated grit. Black can’t help but pad the former’s robust guitar-and-drums beat with a polished pop chorus. Ditto for “Bitter Side of Sweet,” which boasts a steaming harmonica solo by Black and could have been something special.

Only on the bluegrass gem “Our Kind of Love,” featuring Alison Krauss and Union Station, and the whimsically appealing “Ode to Chet,” with the guitar master himself as a guest, does Black recapture some of the creative glory he once had.

Watching a promising talent derail is sad enough. But it’s even more depressing when you know Clint Black should have it in him to work magic again. Every artist is allowed a setback or two, but after four, you can’t help but wonder if this hat act peaked right out of the box.