Released at a time when country music was starting to puff out its chest and its productions, Clint Black’s debut is a refreshingly modest affair. Tuneful and well-crafted, the album is anchored by its big hit singles, “Killin’ Time,” “Nobody’s Home” and “Better Man,” the last of which feels like a Lennon-McCartney tune from Rubber Soul done up George Strait style. Black’s songs are so swift and sweet that he makes almost all other modern country artists look overblown by comparison. Rather than push his music with an over-the-top delivery, Black is a master of understatement, always singing the song with a minimum of intrusion or pretense. As with Strait — an obvious role model — Black is intent on letting the song speak for itself. While the rest of country was straining to incorporate elements of rock (and even heavy metal) Killin’ Time has acoustic underpinnings that owe more to folk and bluegrass. While many peers were preoccupied with the image of the stadium superstar, Black’s dream is to be the guy on a stool strumming his songs on a guitar.