Trace Adkins Albums (8)
What The Critics Say
If you didn't know better, the blasting guitar riff on "Sweet," the opening track on Trace Adkins'X (Ten), might be mistaken for one off a .38 Special track from the late '70s. The track has the single potential of one of Adkins' many hits. The song has an infectious hook in its refrain -- and yes, it rocks. But by the time the set's second number, "Happy to Be Here," commences with a similar big guitar entrance -- albeit on a midtempo ballad -- "Sweet" isn't even a memory. And the same happens for the latter cut when "All I Ask for Anymore" arrives with strings, an acoustic guitar, and a pedal steel whispering in that big gritty baritone of Adkins. It's a ballad drenched in personal truth, and gratitude that is profound. Adkins is actually trying to get across something of a "message" here, albeit one that is humble in scope. The funky B-3 and snare WHOMP that introduces "Let's Do That Again" is a nice curve ball, even if the cut sounds like an outtake from a Josh Turner record. The wide-open slide and pedal steel guitars ride the shuffling rhythm; the singer's delivery has that balance of swagger and warmth that makes it soulful. The acoustic country blues (à la John Hurt style) on "Marry for Money" is deceptive in that it is merely the intro to a modern honky tonk tune that is the lyrical Nash Vegas equivalent of bling rap -- and is every bit as sexist. The album's best track is easily "Til the Last Shot's Fired," written by Rob Crosby and Doug Johnson. It's an antiwar song from the point of view of the ghosts of soldiers who served in the Confederacy, on Omaha Beach during WWII, in Vietnam, and in Afghanistan. Its Dobro, acoustic guitars, brushed snare, and gorgeous choral arrangement at the end of the track make it stand out from the pack, not just on this set, but from contemporary country in general. It's followed by the stellar "I Can't Outrun You," a broken love song about a different kind of ghost. And like its immediate predecessor, it sounds like Adkins means it. The façade of the good-time shaggy-dog honky tonk boy is ripped away, and what remains is a man with some regrets, some baggage, and some hard-won, hard-lived truth, helping him move through the world. With every '70s rock and funky-lite cliché in the book tossed in the mix, it's debatable. If you need further proof of the dilemma, check the straight-ahead melody, whining steel, and shimmering drums on the honky tonk ballad "Sometimes a Man Takes a Drink," a paean to alcoholism. It's a country song that isn't a bevy of ridiculous lyrics celebrating the "good" life, but a story that points to something more poignant, larger, and embedded in the bone of the singer. It isn't even the singer's fault that half of this -- no doubt the more commercially successful half -- will continue to perpetuate Nash Vegas' identity crisis that walks between '70s radio rock and its own tradition. If one wants to really hear the gifts that Adkins is endowed with as a vocalist, one that can reach people in the marrow of where they live, toss away the hits and listen to the rest. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
It's not entirely a coincidence that Trace Adkins sounds like a streamlined Toby Keith on his sixth album, Songs About Me, since Keith was the biggest country star of the 2000s, or at least the biggest star who shares Adkins' low, deep voice and taste for traditional country. But it's not entirely fair to peg Adkins as a Keith wannabe, either, since Trace has been around as long as Toby, and has mined a similar neo-traditionalist vein for just as long. Still, Songs About Me has the self-conscious air of a Nashville studio product, one that's tailored to a specific sensibility and sound -- one that's not far removed from either Adkins' previous work or Keith's current music, but still feels like it was made with the rough, ready, red-state mentality of the mid-2000s in mind. This sober professionalism has its drawbacks -- everything from the production to the lyrics is a little too studied, and it can't help but pale in comparison to Keith's bawdy, robust redneck anthems -- but it also has its advantages, particularly because Adkins is an assured, professional singer who can sell this material even when it's at its most generic. That he can't quite make it transcend the generic is nothing to fault him for -- if he had better songs, a livelier setting, or a looser production, he might have been able to make this take off -- and even if Songs About Me isn't much more than a solid piece of craftsmanship, it's quite enjoyable at that level. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Trace Adkins had reached his midthirties by the time his debut album, Dreamin' Out Loud, was released in 1996. By the time his fifth disc, Comin' on Strong, appeared in 2003, he was over 40. So, it is perhaps appropriate that the overall tone of the lyrics in the 11 songs written for him is one of romantic maturity. That starts with the leadoff track and first single, the up-tempo "Hot Mama," in which a husband reassures his wife that she remains attractive to him, even though she can no longer fit into the jeans she wore at 17. "Hot Mama" has a frisky appeal and, with its erotically charged tag line, "You wanna?" a novelty quality, as does the album's closer, "Rough & Ready," a tongue twister with a Western Swing flavor that details a particular type of country male's taste: "Cold beer/Hot wings/Wranglers/Skoal ring," and so on. The nine songs in between are the usual Nashville product, songs about love lost and found. Adkins' distinctive yet traditional baritone brings out the best in this material, whether leaning on the metaphor of the ballad "I'd Sure Hate to Break Down Here" or reflecting on the physical pleasure of "One of Those Nights." Comin' on Strong is at its best right at the beginning, and there isn't another song as impressive as "Hot Mama." But it's a sturdy collection of reasonably good country songs given effective interpretations by a veteran talent. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
It's not uncommon for the tell-it-like-it-is, six-and-a-half-foot Adkins to say things like the following: "I'm first and foremost interested in the lyrics on anything I record. It sounds like it sounds, but the most important thing is the words." Perhaps that's why he elected to choose Nashville's "pop" producer Dann Huff, who lends himself to commercial country songs that get lots of radio airtime. That's not to say Adkins has abandoned his progressive old-time country roots. Album number four is just a little bit more of a discriminatory mix of traditional classics and up-tempo contemporaries that listeners are not used to hearing from him. But the 12-track collection certainly works at that, all the while staying true to what he's known for. You've got to love the way this guy sings bass. Praiseworthy tunes include the nebulous "Chrome," the overly prideful "Once Upon a Fool Ago," and the excitable "Scream." ~ Maria Konicki Dinoia, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
More... is a very apt title for Trace Adkins' third album, since it essentially offers more of the same. For some artists, this would be a harsh criticism, but not in the case of Adkins, since he's proving himself to be one of the more reliable neo-traditionalists of the late '90s. Unlike some of his peers, Adkins doesn't pattern his singing after any of his idols; he absorbs his influences, creating his own distinctive sound that has elements of classic honky tonk as well as blues and rock. He sounds equally convincing on heartbreak songs ("Don't Lie"), rockers ("Can I Want Your Love," "More"), honky tonk ("I'm Gonna Love You Anyway," "I Can Dig It"), and Western swing ("All Hat, No Cattle"). More... may drag a little bit in the middle, but overall, it achieves a nice balance of performance and song, proving along the way that not only does Adkins have and individual voice, but that he's more purely country than many of his peers. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
While Trace Adkins' second album, Big Time, isn't as consistently strong as his debut, Dreamin' Out Loud, it nevertheless establishes him as a vocal talent. There are moments where the songwriting rings a little flat, but the best cuts on Big Time, such as the single "The Rest of Mine," are well-crafted contemporary country showcasing his booming baritone to fine effect. ~ Thom Owens, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Trace Adkins' debut, Dreamin' Out Loud, illustrates that he does indeed have a powerhouse voice, one that's big and strong and capable of handling both honky tonk and ballads. It's a voice that makes singers into stars, and his producers must have realized this. Unfortunately, they wanted to ensure that Adkins became a star, so they gave Dreamin' Out Loud a production that's a little too clean and songs that are a little too predictable, when it's clear that he is capable of so much more. Even so, Dreamin' Out Loud remains a satisfying debut. Adkins sings his heart out on even the lesser songs, and when he does have a good number ("That's a Bad Way of Saying Goodbye," "There's a Girl in Texas"), he sounds like one of the finest new traditionalists of the late '90s. ~ Thom Owens, All Music Guide
