Despite a predictable but still disappointing drift toward commercially safe material, Crystal Gayle has weathered her first blast of Top-Forty success with her uniquely crossbred interpretive ability intact. On When I Dream, her sixth LP, Gayle continues to resist being decisively labeled pop, country or MOR, though traces of all three can be found in her voice, songs and arrangements. Indeed,...

As a rule, industry awards aren't representative of the best the music business has to offer. In making Crystal Gayle 1975's Most Promising Female Vocalist, however, the Country Music Association was right on target—except that Crystal Gayle isn't really a country singer. She's a pop singer who can sing country; she can also sing folk and cabaret, as she does on this album.

Crystal Gayle does...