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Shawn Mullins is a '90s acoustic troubadour whose lyrics, at their worst, read like overly precious journal entries ("The road is my home / And my spirit is wild"), making him seem sometimes like Jewel with a Y-chromosome. (According to his song "Twin Rock, Oregon," Mullins has lived out of his van, too.) But some of the baker's dozen of songs that compose Soul's Core have some bite, especially the restless "Ballad of Billy Jo McKay" and the gritty "Gulf of Mexico." Mullins is at his best when he plays to his strengths, which include an affinity for working-class characters and an eye for detail. Best of all is his sweet Georgia drawl, which pours honey over the aching "Soul Child" and the memorable chorus of his breakthrough hit, "Lullabye." Mullins produced the album, his major-label debut, and even though it's his eighth title (he sold its predecessors out of that storied van), he is an artist whose skills are still on the rise. --Daniel Durchholz