By Markos Papadatos

On Wednesday, March 17th, 2010, country music sensation Jo Dee Messina took the stage at Feinstein's at Loews Regency Hotel. The Loews Regency Hotel, located in 540 Park Avenue, is one of New York's finest and most luxurious hotels. Jo Dee Messina will be performing at Feinstein's at Loews Regency Hotel from March 16th until March 20th 2010. Her talented three-piece band includes Rick Taylor, Robbie Vaughn and Brent Rader.

Messina's opening song was "Heads Carolina, Tails California," her debut hit from 1996, which peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Charts. She immediately continued with "I'm Alright," a chart-topping hit and title track of her second studio album in 1998, which was well-received by the audience at Feinstein's.

Follow up:

After this song, Jo Dee Messina greeted the New York audience and went on to deliver a controlled and soothing performance of "That's God," a single from her upcoming album called Unmistakable, accompanied on piano by keyboard and base player Brent Rader.

After "That's God," Messina went on to sing her #1 hit "Bring on the Rain," a duet with country superstar Tim McGraw which had garnered her a Grammy nomination for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals back in 2002. In lieu of Tim McGraw, her acoustic guitar player, Robbie Vaughn, lent his mellifluous harmonies on this poignant tune.

After "Bring on the Rain," Messina performed "Lesson in Leavin'," which was ironically recorded by country artist Dottie West back in the 1980s. Luckily, for both women in country, this song has peaked at #1 for West and #2 for Messina respectively in the Billboard Country Charts.

Messina also shared with the audience some good advice that country legend Charlie Daniels had given her about the music industry. She remarks that "it is not how many times you fall that matters; it is how many times you get back up that counts."

Messina went on to fulfill a fan's request and performed "It's Too Late to Worry" which is also known as the "Wal-mart" song from her "Delicious Surprise" album. In return, Messina delivered a sassy rendition of this up-tempo tune.

After "It's Too Late to Worry," Messina performed her first #1 hit on country radio, the up-tempo "Bye, Bye" which garnered the most positive response from the audience, and had each and every person in the room singing along to it.

Throughout this evening, Messina performed two new songs from her upcoming album "Unmistakable," which comes out later this year as a trilogy. Messina informed the audience that the first part of the Unmistakable trilogy comes out on April 27th 2010, the second part of the trilogy comes out some time in mid summer, and the final part of the Unmistakable trilogy, would be released later on towards the end of the year, and would consist of inspirational songs. The first new song she performed was the inspirational "Get Up Again," followed with a soaring rendition of the title track of her trilogy albums, "Unmistakable, which she dedicated to her husband. Messina is accompanied on piano on "Unmistakable" and showcased her dynamic vocal range on this tune, which was a real treat for the audience.

Messina also fulfilled yet another request and performed another fun and up-tempo song, "You're Not In Kansas Anymore," which is this humble reviewer's all-time favorite Jo Dee Messina tune.

For her final song of the evening, Messina belted out the power ballad "You Were Just Here" which was the highlight performance of the night. Messina showcased much range and emotion throughout this tune and exposed the rawness of the song's poignant lyrics; simultaneously, "You Were Just Here" tugged at the audience's heartstrings since it was extra significance for New Yorkers, after they had experienced a tragic event such as September 11th 2001. This song was a very fitting way to conclude her remarkable eleven-song setlist at Feinstein's at Loews Regency Hotel. It is no wonder that Messina was awarded the 1998 Academy of Country Music (ACM) Award for Top New Female Vocalist, as well as the 1999 Horizon Award by the Country Music Association (CMA).

Overall, Jo Dee Messina's concert at Feinstein's at Loews Regency Hotel was fantastic. Messina is a stunning vocalist who embodies what modern country music is all about. Her singing, three-piece band and stage presence made this event very memorable as she performed the country tunes that turned her into a country music superstar. She made the New York audience feel as if they were in a small, intimate setting where her powerhouse voice did all the talking.

Concert Rating: A