Travis Tritt - T-R-O-U-B-L-E (1992)

On his third full-length,Travis Tritt's rollicking cover versions of Buddy Guy ("Leave My Girl Alone") and Elvis Presley ("T-R-O-U-B-L-E") are nice touches and show deeper roots than the Gary Rossington co-written tracks here ("Blue Collar Man"). This is also a very diverse collection that shows off a little (though not a lot) more of the singer and songwriter's depths as a performer as well. Tritt's abilities as an authentic showman come across on his recordings, and did even at this early stage of the game, establishing him as a top-flight entertainer and concert draw. Producer Gregg Brown plays to Tritt's strengths, by selecting freewheeling country tunes such as Marty Stuart's "A Hundred Years from Now," Troy Seals' "Lookin' Out for Number One," and Kostas' "Lord Have Mercy on the Working Man" for his moneymaker to sink that countrified voice into. That all said, T-r-o-u-b-l-e is also almost indistinguishable from It's All About to Change: a good novelty song masquerading as more, a couple of ballads with big flourishes, and a large helping of Southern rock strut is a good formula, granted, but it's still a formula. And for a guy who claimed he never played it safe, this was a bit to close to the net for posterity to bear. © Brian Mansfield & Thom Jurek