The Time Has Come (1992)

Is newcomer Martina McBride the next Trisha Yearwood? As with Yearwood's platinum debut, McBride's The Time Has Come features a duet (''Cheap Whiskey'') with Garth Brooks, who has further supported her career by offering her the opening spot on his upcoming tour. Although this stylish bow contains a smattering of old-style country (the yodeling ''True Blue Fool''), it's mostly contemporary country-pop laced with mandolin and steel guitar, focusing on a woman's attempt to gather strength in ending unhappy affairs (''The Time Has Come''). While McBride's supple soprano resonates with emotional experience, it occasionally belies a young, amateurish technical quality. More often than not, McBride impresses as a singer who's intent on making music both for the charts and from her heart. B