Published on Apr 17, 1997
Travis Tritt is having a personality crisis.
His thoughts may be in the world of country, but he wears the
locks of a rocker, and has the heart of a bluesman. On his 1992
release
T-R-O-U-B-L-E, Tritt explores all three areas, and shows
he’s quite capable in any genre.
Tritt had a hit with the title track, which has a little more of
a rock flavor to it somewhat akin to the Allman Brothers Band. The
driving melody with Tritt’s vocals makes this song one you won’t
forget anytime soon. Tritt also adds a rock flavor to “Looking Out
For Number One.”
In one sense, it would have been interesting to hear how Tritt
developed as a country rocker, but – alas – his main focus remains
country. You need proof? Check out the song “Lord Have Mercy On The
Working Man,” which features an ending chorus that is the “We Are
The World” of country. We have: Tanya Tucker, Brooks & Dunn,
George Jones, Porter Wagoner, and Little Texas as a good portion of
the closing chorus of voices.
Tritt focuses more often on the country ballad, which seems to
be a natural for him. “Can I Trust You With My Heart” is a
beautiful love song which Tritt croons sweetly, while “I Wish I
Could Go Back Home” stands out as one of the best on the album.
But
T-R-O-U-B-L-E features one special appearance: Lynyrd
Skynyrd’s own Gary Rossington, who co-wrote and appears on “Blue
Collar Man.” One little problem – I tend to rate this one against
Skynyrd’s best, and this one doesn’t quite stand up to that
standard. Unfortunately, this isn’t Tritt’s fault.
Okay, that’s two out of three genres that Tritt covers. The
third – blues – is the best work on this album. His cover of Buddy
Guy’s “Leave My Girl Alone” is amazing, topping even Stevie Ray
Vaughan’s version. If there was any vein that I would like to see
Tritt continue to grow in, this would be it, ’cause he is a
natural.
In some ways, it’s hard to rate
T-R-O-U-B-L-E due to its numerous musical styles in the
guise of country music. It’s hard to rate due to the brevity of
some of the songs. But overall, this is a very good effort from a
young, rising star in the country field.