Trace Adkins
Trace Adkins’ recent publicity moves a contrarian (if predictable) book, appearances on Celebrity Apprentice, and a cameo bit on The Young And The Restless are par for the course for today’s mainstream acts. It’s not that Adkins requires the hype. His modern traditionalism, (mostly) free of warmed-over rock cliches, offers established ideas, moods and concepts in a first-rate setting, thanks to producer Frank Rogers. Known for his work with Brad Paisley and Josh Turner, Rogers is easily one of the best around today’s Music Row.
Adkins wrote none of the songs here, which may bother some, but to me it’s no mark against any artist. The testosterone rush of “Sweet” gives way to back-to-back tracks celebrating domestic bliss: “Happy To Be Here” and “All I Ask For Anymore”. Those three, along with the lively trucker tune “Hauling One Thing” and the redemption ballad “Muddy Water”, marginalize the dim-witted throwaway “Hillbilly Rich”.
“Sometimes A Man Takes A Drink” becomes a tour-de-force, evoking the anguished balladeering of Epic-era George Jones. The attitude and humor of “Marry For Money”, riding atop a 4/4 shuffle, packs a sardonic punch. The thoughtful, nuanced “Till The Last Shot’s Fired” eschews the cliched chest-pounding and fist-shaking of current wartime fare in favor of a dignified perspective, enhanced with a coda by the West Point Cadet Choir.
Adkins shatters no barriers and offers no surprises this is, after all, conventional Music Row fare. The difference is a consistent quality that transcends the hype accompanying nearly every major-label release nowadays.