Back in 1994, David Ball´s twangy, new-traditionalist smash Thinkin´ Problem was like a golden needle in a haystack, hidden among that year´s tangle of sound-alike hat acts. Since that breakthrough, though, Ball´s singles have stiffed, and stiffed again. Predictably, then, the weakest moments on 1999´s Play, Ball´s third album for Warner Bros., are the ones that try to fit in with the successful sounds of late-´90s country radio. Clearly, the empty "Hasta Luego, My Love" is a song that exists solely because of its famous movie catch phrase, and arena-rock drums pounds the emotion out of more than a couple of numbers here. But when Ball turns to the dance-hall honky-tonk and boogie-woogie that he loves most, the disc soars. "Lonely Town" and "When I Get Lonely" have the beef and bite of the best Dwight Yoakam cuts, and the sweet cover of Jim Lauderdale´s "What Do You Say to That" is tender and romant