Trace Adkins - Chrome (2001)

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