Trace Adkins - X

On his first full-length album since 2006’s Dangerous Man, Trace Adkins returns with a reflective set of songs that subtly work to reinvent the 46-year old singer. Known more recently for pop hits like “Honkytonk Badonkadonk” and “Swing,” X proves Adkins hasn’t lost his country roots or his sense of humor –he’s just lost the overly commercial and ultra-slick pop songs. Sure, there are fun songs like the upbeat funk and blues inspired opening track “Sweet,” where’s Adkins’ idea of a ‘sweet’ girl is quite different than that of his mother’s, but the songs remain country. “Marry for Money” is the album’s most humorous song and finds a broken-hearted Adkins determined to better his financial outlook through marriage. The song opens with an old-time acoustic blues progression and tap-dancing drumsticks before cutting into a Hank Jr.-like country rock romp as Adkins sings “Don’t really care if she loves me/She can even be ugly/I’m gonna marry for money.”
 
Adkins is at his best when songs are serious and the arrangements bare. His thick baritone provides the perfect tool to convey stories of fallen American soldiers on the acoustic-based “Til the Last Shot’s Fired.” With fiddle and Dobro over soft percussion, Adkins’ vocal depth and dark illustrations make the listener feel the cold of the subject while singing “Say a prayer for peace/For every fallen son.” On the traditional country number “Sometimes A Drink Takes A Man,” Adkins sings in ¾ time about alcoholism while acoustic and pedal steel guitars sway back and forth. The songs on X are reflective and sometimes very introspective. This is Adkins’ 10th album and he navigates each song and melody like a well-seasoned veteran. He doesn’t break much new ground with the album, but he does remind us of his country roots and why we like him – Adkins is a country gentleman who can be humorous and integrate elements of rock and funk, but his voice can stand on its own to provide stirring images.