As the discrepancies between Country Music Television and VH1 slowly begin to fade, Tim McGraw couldn't be happier. With his latest release, Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors, the Louisiana crooner presents a mix of adult contemporary songs masked as country music.

Though still labeled country, Tim McGraw... takes the now-popular modern country sound and places it in a rock context, laden with emotion to the point of excess. McGraw forces his own Southern legitimacy too far, clinging to beer-drinking references and banjo tracks throughout the album.

From the opener, "Comfort Me," he comes across as a bashful hero wearing a cowboy hat covering his eyes. Most of the songs overflow with heartfelt passion (a.k.a. excessive sappiness), such as the ballads "She's My Kind of Rain" and "I Know How to Love You Well."

McGraw spares the melodrama on some tracks, including the upbeat and sarcastic "Who Are They." Questioning the lifestyles of the en vogue society, the song showcases McGraw's disinterest with money and fame. One has to remember this comes from a multi-platinum artist married to an equally famous songstress.

One of the biggest surprises on the CD appears when McGraw covers the Elton John classic "Tiny Dancer." Upbeat and colored and including a predictable fiddle, the track fits well into the melting pot of country, pop and rock sounds. Then again, if Johnny Cash can cover Nine Inch Nails, Tim McGraw could be a country musician. Grade: C+

-- Reviewed by Dante DelVecchio