If you had your first number one hit 23 years ago and are still regularly producing, you definitely proofed to be a legend in your type of your music. Trace Adkins is one of these guys in country music – reliable, constant high quality music recordings, soon heading towards the fourth decade of his career. On 16th October 2020, he released Ain’t That Kind Of Cowboy, which is interestingly the very first EP he ever released in his life. Here is my review.
Trace Adkins – About The Artist
His home town Sarepta in Lousiana, a less-than 1,000 people village near the Arkansas and Texas border, is proud of Tracy Darrell Adkins, who was born there on 13th January 1962. The wikipedia article about the village even shows a Welcome to Sarepta – Home of Trace Adkins sign. He was a good American Football player in his youth years, even being an offensive linebacker in his high school team, but a knee injury prevented him from playing a single match in there. Adkins first played in honky-tonks in his home area, but then moved to Nashville at the age of 30. He released his first single, the self-written There is Girl in Texas, at the age of 34. The song already made it to the Top 20 in the US Country Charts. The following single, Every Light in the House was already Top 3, followed by his first number 1 hit, (This Ain’t) No Thinkin’ Thing (1997). Not too surprisingly, his debut album Dreamin Out Loud has been awarded a platinum record as well.
Adkins’ career kind of slowed down a bit thereafter, and even though his following albums all made it to the Top 10 of the US Country Album Billboards, he did not really record a really big hit the following years. This changes with his 2005 album Songs About Me (already the sixth studio album overall), which topped the album charts and had two second spot songs in the country charts, the title track and Honky Tonk Badonkadonk. The following year, Ladies Love Country Boys was his second No. 1 single. He’s got three overall until now. Out of a total of twelve studio albums so far, he got two more No. 1 ones, Dangerous Man (2006) and Cowboy’s Back in Town (2010). He however never produced an album which has not been in the Top 10. Adkins is also active as an actor.
Trace Adkins – Ain’t That Kind of Cowboy – Track by Track
The EP is six songs, 21 minutes.
1. Better Off
Put the lock on the door Drop the needle on the record Kick your shoes on the floor Turn this night on to eleven but Those thoughts in your head and Those pillows on your bed and That dress these lights
Okay, Adkins released this one already about half a year before the EP – but it is still a great listen, ain’t it? Lovely modern country song, nice for the country party as well as for airplay. Great started in that sextet of songs.
2. Mind on Fishin’
Mind on Fishin’ has been another single before the release of the album. A song about religion, but about believing and being religious outside a church. Love it!
Well I like that preacher and I love how it feels When he really gets to throwin’ down But I’d rather do my talkin’ with the man upstairs When there’s nobody else around If I was there right now I’d be thinkin’ ’bout Which lure I was gonna cast And he don’t need another fool sittin’ in that pew Dreamin’ ’bout a ten pound bass
3. Ain’t That Kind of Cowboy
A bit of slower, a nice guitar bridge – the title track is definitely a lovely song as well. Trace Adkins just knows how to do it – and he is does it is way… He just AIn’t That Kind of Cowboy
4. Big
I immediately fell in love with this song when I listened to it for the first time. This song, written Brothers Osborne, rocks quite a lot, but it also got a nice groove. While listening to it and driving to the airport I felt that this must be the sound when Luke Bryan is heading Z.Z.Top. As this might not happen too quickly, I just go with Trace Adkins.
5. Running Into You
After four songs of power and rocking elements, Adkins also shows the soft side of a Louisiana cowboy: Running Into You is simply a lovely country music ballad. Love it!
6. Just The Way We Do It
The lovely groove track just feels like a classic powerful country song – with a classic country topic – that’s just the way we do it ’round here. Life ’round here feels to be not too bad, definitely.
Trace Adkins – Ain’t That Kind of Cowboy – Spotify
Here is the Spotify widget for Ain’t That Kind of Country:
Trace Adkins – Ain’t That Kind of Cowboy – My View
Wow, that’s fun! I love any of the six songs on Ain’t That Kind Of Cowboy. He is doing is own music, characteristic sound, but still not dusty or old-fashioned. The EP is a lovely collection of modern country, Adkins style. You definitely should listen to it if you love country music.
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