Trace Adkins - X CD

X CD music Recording information: Brighter Shade Studio, Atlanta, GA; Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas; The Sound Station Nashville, TN; Wedgewood Sound. Photographer: C. Taylor Crothers. Personnel: Brent Mason (electric guitar); Greenwood Hart (accordion, keyboards); Gary Prim (keyboards); Marcus Petruska (drums, background vocals). Audio ...

X album for sale While the two-disc 35 BIGGEST HITS is far from the first Toby Keith hits collection, it's easily his most comprehensive to date, including the biggest songs from every stage of the country superstar's first 15 years. It moves from early hits like "A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action," which found him coming on like an Alan Jackson-esque New Traditionalist, to catchy, in-your-face anthems like "How Do You Like Me Now" and "I Wanna Talk About Me." Naturally, it also contains Keith's controversial post-9/11 "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)," as well as his most mature work, such as latter-day smashes "Big Blue Note" and "A Little Too Late." It all adds up to a definitive portrait of an American original. Photographer: Richard McLaren.

X songs Taylor Swift abandons any pretense that she's a teen on her second album, FEARLESS--which isn't to say that she suddenly tarts herself up, running away from her youth in a manner that's all too familiar to many teen stars. Swift's maturation is deliberate and careful, styled after the crossover country-pop of Shania Twain and Faith Hill before they turned into divas. Despite the success of her self-titled 2006 debut, there's nothing at all diva-like about Swift on FEARLESS: she's soft-spoken and considerate, a big sister instead of a big star. Nowhere is this truer than on "Fifteen," a kind warning for a teen to watch her heart sung from the perspective of a woman who's perhaps twice that age--a sly trick for the 18-year-old Swift. There may be a hint of youthfulness to her singing but that's the only hint of girlishness here; her writing--and she had a hand in penning all 13 tracks here, with six of them bearing her solitary credit--is sharply, subtly crafted and the music is softly assured, never pushing its hooks too hard. Like many country-pop albums of the 2000s, the pop heavily outweighs the country--there aren't fiddles here, there are violins--yet the production never feels garish, a crass attempt at a crossover success. It's small-scale and sweetly tuneful, always seeming humble even when the power ballads build to a big close. Swift's gentle touch is as enduring as her songcraft, and this musical maturity may not quite jibe with her age but it does help make FEARLESS one of the best mainstream pop albums of 2008. Arranger: Jonathan Yudkin. Personnel: Taylor Swift (vocals, guitar); Nathan Chapman (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, keyboards); Bryan Sutton (acoustic guitar, mandolin); Grant Mickelson, Kenny Greenberg (electric guitar); Ilya Toshinsky (banjo); Claire Indie (cello); Tony Harrell (piano, Hammond b-3 organ, keyboards); Tim Lauer (keyboards); Eric Darken (vibraphone); Tim Marks, Amos Heller (bass guitar). Audio Mixer: Justin Niebank.

X buy CD music Audio Remasterer: Richard Dodd. Recording information: Treasure Isle Recording Studio. Editor: Brandon Epps. Photographer: Kristin Barlowe. Personnel: Billy Panda (acoustic guitar); Adam Shoenfeld, Kurt Allison (electric guitar); Michael "Mike Dee" Johnson (steel guitar); Tony Harrell (piano, Wurlitzer organ); Mike Rojas (piano); Tully Kennedy (bass guitar); Rich Redmond (drums, percussion); Rodney Clawson, Neil Thrasher, Wes Hightower, Liana Manis (background vocals). Audio Mixer: Peter Coleman.

X songs Twelve studio albums into his career, Toby Keith has settled into the sort of comfortable groove that generally allows a country singer to maintain a career for several decades. After spending the first years of the 21st century embroiled in non-musical sideshows like an ongoing feud with Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks and mild controversies about his political beliefs, THAT DON'T MAKE ME A BAD GUY, like its predecessor, BIG DOG DADDY, leaves social commentary behind for a genial, mature brand of rock-influenced country. The first single, the power ballad "She Never Cried In Front Of Me," is a domestic drama in the grand country tradition, while "Cabo San Lucas" and "Creole Woman" are scrappy good-time tunes. Other highlights include the weepy "Hurt A Lot Worse When You Go" and the wry "Missing Me Some You." THAT DON'T MAKE ME A BAD GUY may not win over any Dixie Chicks fans nursing grudges, but it's a solid and enjoyable album. Composer/Lyricist: Toby Keith. Personnel: Toby Keith (vocals, guitar, background vocals); Kenny Greenberg, Brent Mason (guitar, electric guitar); Jerry McPhearson (guitar); Ilya Toshinsky (acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin); Jerry MacPherson (electric guitar); Paul Franklin (pedal steel guitar, dobro); Robert Hajacos, Rob Hajacos (fiddle); Jim Hoke, Steve Patrick (saxophone, tenor saxophone, trumpet); Steve Nathan, Charles Judge (piano, keyboards); Glenn Worf, Mark Hill (bass guitar); Shannon Forest (drums); Eric Darken (percussion); Kenneth "Scat" Springs, Vicki Hampton, Perry Coleman (background vocals). Audio Mixer: Mills Logan. Audio Remasterer: Ken Love. Recording information: East Iris STudios; Ocean Way Studios; Scruggs Sound; The Mix Mill Studio. Photographer: Richard McLaren.

X album for sale In an unusual move for an established country singer, Brad Paisley's PLAY is a primarily instrumental album that puts its focus entirely on Paisley's underrated guitar work. Far from being a traditional country album, or even a contemporary country-pop album, PLAY works in a wide variety of genres, including Les Paul-style jazz, ripping surf rock, old-fashioned electric Chicago blues, and metal-tinged rock & roll. Paisley also assembles quite a list of guest stars: a re-recording of an early hit features a guest appearance by the actor Andy Griffith, while the Bakersfield country rocker "Come On In" features the late Buck Owens and a bluesy take on "Let the Good Times Roll" welcomes B.B. King. Two vocal tracks, "Start A Band" and "More Than Just This Song," feature Keith Urban and Steve Warriner, respectively, while the epic "Cluster Pluck" is a tongue-in-cheek high-speed dash through the history of country guitar showcasing James Burton, Vince Gill, Albert Lee, and four other guitarists besides. PLAY is a detour, but a worthwhile one. Brad Pailey won his first GRAMMY Award in 2008 for Best Country Instrumental Performance and he is believes in 'more music, less talk' with his 2008 album, Play, which promises to increase axes across the board, alongside some of the guitar world's great heroes. Featuring guest vocal and musical collaborations with B.B. King, Keith Urban, Steve Wariner, and Buck Owens. Liner Note Author: Judy Forde Blair. Recording information: Blackbird Studio, Nashville, TN; Digital Insight, Las Vegas, NV; The Castle, Franklin, TN. Introduction by: Snoop Dogg. Personnel: Brad Paisley (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, baritone guitar, mandolin, bass guitar); Manny Rogers, Snoop Dogg (vocals); Gary Hooker (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, electric 12-string guitar, baritone guitar); Frank Rogers (acoustic guitar, electric 12-string guitar, piano); Robert Arthur, Bryan Sutton (acoustic guitar); Sergeant John Peter Jorgensen, James Burton, John Jorgenson, Keith Urban, Albert Lee , Redd Volkaert, Steve Wariner, B.B. King, Vince Gill, Brent Mason (electric guitar); Randle Currie, Randel Currie (steel guitar); Buck Owens (dobro, mandolin); Kendall Marcy (banjo, keyboards); Aubrey Haynie, Justin Williamson (fiddle); Jim "Moose" Brown (piano, Farfisa, Hammond b-3 organ, Wurlitzer organ); Bernie Herms, Gordon Mote (piano); Kevin Grantt (upright bass, electric bass, bass guitar, fretless bass); Kenny Lewis (bass guitar, background vocals); Ben Sesar, Brian David Willis (drums); Eric Darken (percussion); Wes Hightower (background vocals); Chris O'Donnell, Nick Michaud, Drew Bollmann, John Harvey, Justin Niebank, Steve Short, Greg Lawrence. Audio ...