Am / Fm

This album is Mastered for iTunes. Considering her four fruitful decades of acting in TV, film, and theater, you have to wonder why it took Rita Wilson so long to record her debut album—especially when AM/FM is overflowing with such fetching covers of classic radio hits. She follows The Everly Brothers’ approach to Felice and Boudleaux Bryant's 1958 gem "All I Have to Do Is Dream," complete with close high-lonesome harmonies. Conversely, she deviates from The Association’s sunshine-pop take on Don and Dick Addrisi’s epic serenade “Never My Love,” going for a pristinely produced adult-contemporary folk-rock rendition (save for a '60s-toned organ solo). From the same family tree, “Cherish” gets a similar treatment, swapping out those mohair-suited harmonies for a piano-based ballad that lets Wilson's silky voice carry the melody to astral heights. More AM than FM, Wilson's treatment of Chip Taylor’s “Angel of the Morning” strips away its '70s sepia hues for an sparklingly effervescent rendition. Even Jimmy Webb’s “Wichita Lineman” sounds easier on the ears when sung over spare piano notes through Wilson’s honeyed timbre.