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Trace Adkins has recorded a new collection of songs on X for his notorious fans, the 'Badonkadonk' people and the 'Every Light' people (see bio.). His tenth album includes songs like 'Sweet', which turns a common natural expression into a tight and particularized country tune, and 'I Can’t Outrun You' a vocal tour de force about the weight of romantic obsession in which Adkins records a haunting country soul song, in 2008, Sinatra-style.
"I'm not afraid to do stuff like that" Adkins says of the song, "and we've done stuff like that live, we've just never recorded that starkly. I told frank that on this one I wanted the vocal to do the work, and carry the entire load, that’s the way I want to cut this and put my voice out there and let the clips fall where they may".
It’s the highlight of a collection teeming with other highs. There is 'Hillbilly Rich', a brilliantly fun song about how country stars live it up materially like rap stars, but with perhaps less blinding bling, and there are gospel- and bluegrass-sired songs such as Adkins' 2008 'Muddy Water' single, as well as 'Sometimes a Man Takes a Drink'. These show how both sides of Adkins music work with a great stylistic co-operation: 'Hillbilly Rich' wouldn't be nearly as good without the rooted centre of Adkins' steady, nuanced baritone, and 'Sometimes a Man Takes a Drink' could be a tradition merely without his ability to infuse heritage styles with modern tensions and vibes. And the album features as well a song like 'Till The Last Shot's Fired', which looks at military history and personal sacrifice and in which Adkins' vocal is augmented by the rare presence of West Point Cadet Choir. "We had to go all the way to the Pentagon" Adkins says, "to get permission to record with them". Another energetic tune built around a heavy guitar lick, Adkins introduces the song as "A little funkabilly" - called 'Better Than I Ought To Be' and a thoughtful orchestrated ballad, 'All I ask For Anymore' to round out the album.
When he travels these days, Adkins says, he gets recognised more than he used to before he performed on 'Celebrity Apprentice'. Along with the consistent accumulation of his signature music over the years, Adkins' television appearances have further revealed him as the smart, articulate singer his recordings have always indicated that he is. Of course the 'Badonkadonk' people and the 'Every Light' people already knew.
What's clear now though, is that a dozen years into his career, Trace Adkins is not just an undeniable country music force. With his larger than life personality, steely determination and proven ability to compete in other Medias, he's a force that will continue to grow.
