Three years after the release of Breathe, Faith Hill doesn’t disappoint with the long-awaited release of her fifth album, Cry. A far cry from the sound of her first country album, Take Me As I Am, Hill spreads her roots and ventures into new genres to include everything from soul-filled gospel to all-out rock but still keeps a little bit of country.

Most of the new sounds work for her, but a few do not.

Title-track “Cry” is a beautifully executed ballad about the pain of ending a relationship. The album then shifts gears to the jazzy, upbeat “One,” only to once again shift into another slow ballad, “When the Lights Go Down,” which has a more gospel feel.

“When the Lights Go Down” seems to be a song Hill relates to, as the lyrics speak of friends being around just for the fame and fortune. Gospel-influenced songs have always been one of Hill’s stronger talents, and “When the Lights Go Down” is one of the album’s best tracks.

A great characteristic of Cry is that one doesn’t know what to expect from the next track. It could be another ballad, such as “Beautiful,” which has an instrumental, Pink Floyd-ish intro, which then moves into a more rhythmic pop song such as “Baby You Belong.”

These songs are followed by the toe-tapping “Unsaveable,” and Hill pulls off the eclectic mix. The array of sounds makes the track a fun one to listen to. And, while the sound is magnificent, the lyrics speak volumes, too. From inspirational songs like “Free” and “Stronger” to the depressing “Cry” and “You’re Still Here,” Hill’s lyrics apply to everyone’s life in some way.

The only thing missing is more of the upbeat songs from Breathe such as “The Way You Love Me” and if “My Heart Had Wings.” Cry, regrettably, carries a much more mellow vibe.

The main drawback to the album is the calculated poppy-ness of songs such as “Free” and “If You’re Going to Fly Away.” These tracks would do well to do away with their would-be techno stylings.

Overall, though, Cry is a great piece of work by the reigning queen of country. Hill had better be on her guard, however, as she will face some stiff competition from country superstar Shania Twain, who is also releasing a long-awaited album later this month.

Cry also launches one other new thing for the country diva — Faith Hill TV. With the purchase of Cry, fans also get a six-minute video of studio footage for play on their computers. Also, by going to www.faithhill.com, fans can get interviews with Hill and extra footage not available on the album. It is s a nice extra, but not a necessary accessory to the songs on Cry.

In the end, Hill has hit gold with Cry and proven once again she can be successful outside the realm of the country-music world.

Grade: AB