My Honky Tonk History
By enduring in a Nashville that offers, at best, fame that no longer lasts decades but years (and in some cases, months), Travis Tritt has beaten the odds, refusing to play Music Row's change-with-the fads game. Musically, he remains committed to the Southern rock-based vision that's characterized him from the start and proves it on the title song, every barroom musician's shout of pride. "Monkey Around" has a classic R&B;/boogie feel that shows Tritt at his rocking finest. "The Girl's Gone Wild," a play on the popular video series, reflects the here and now, and "Too Far to Turn Around," co-written byGretchen Wilson, establishes a stylistic link between veteran and newcomer. "What Say You," a duet withJohn Mellencamp, celebrates brotherhood--minus the wimpiness that can undermine such numbers. Nowhere, however, is Tritt more real than on the epic "Circus Leaving Town," the kind of broad, powerful balladGeorge Jonesturned into an art form. Tritt had his first hit in 1989, and to retain the power he had then, as he does here, is a singular achievement.--Rich Kienzle