Fri September 21, 2007

Country: Travis Tritt 'The Storm'

Travis Tritt "The Storm” (Category 5 Records)

On "The Storm,” contemporary country hitmaker Travis Tritt unleashes his soulful side with the help of his co-producer, "American Idol” judge Randy Jackson.

Tritt put a rock edge on his hits "Here's a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares),” "T-r-o-u-b-l-e” and "I'm Gonna Be Somebody.” On his new album, the Georgia-born singer successfully taps into the Southern R&B, soul and gospel traditions, adding moaning guitar riffs, jazzy piano flourishes and sassy female backup singers to several songs.

Besides Jackson, Tritt gets plenty of able help on his independent label debut. Songwriter and former pop star Richard Marx co-wrote the grooving tracks "Mudcat Moan (Prelude)/You Never Take Me Dancing” and "Doesn't the Good Outweigh the Bad.” Accomplished blues guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd gets a workout on "Somehow, Somewhere, Someway,” which he co-wrote.

Grammy-winning songwriter Diane Warren delivers romance with the ballads "(I Wanna) Feel Too Much” and "I Don't Know How I Got By.” Tritt and Matchbox Twenty front man Rob Thomas co-wrote the plaintive "What if Love Hangs On.”

Tritt hasn't forsaken his country ways. He ably covers Hank Williams Jr.'s "The Pressure Is On” and gets into the honky-tonk spirit with master fiddler Charlie Daniels on "High Time for Gettin' Down.”

— Brandy McDonnell