Greatest Hits-From the Beginning - Tritt, Travis (CD 1995)

I guess it was only natural that with the demise of hair metal at the end of the 1980s, the 1990s would present brand new pop-culture fads, and the explosion of country music was one such example. Among the top stars to benefit from this development was a longhaired country boy by the name of Travis Tritt. His CD From The Beginning is a greatest hits compilation that is sure to win over new fans and please old ones.

Tracks:
1. Here s A Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)
2. Anymore
3. Put Some Drive In Your Country
4. Foolish Pride
5. The Whiskey Ain t Workin (Duet with Marty Stuart)
6. Help Me Hold On
7. I m Gonna Be Somebody
8. Only You (And You Alone)
9. T-R-O-U-B-L-E
10. Tell Me I Was Dreaming
11. Country Club
12. Can I Trust You With My Heart
13. Sometimes She Forgets
14. Ten Feet Tall & Bulletproof
15. Drift Off To Dream

Breakdown:
I admit, I resisted country music s allure for quite some time. It would not be inaccurate to say actual conversion to a fan country music can be described as dragged kicking and screaming . But in the end, I had to give in and accept this genre of music has some very good qualities to it. I m glad I gave in, too, as it was only a few steps from country over to developing an appreciation for bluegrass, which is one of my favorite styles of music.

Even when I did become a country music fan, there were only a couple of artists that I would admit to liking. Allan Jackson was one of my early favorites (although now he s a bit too cornball for me). Garth Brooks wasn t on my list until recently. But Travis Tritt was someone who had me from the start. His bluesy vocal style, combined with a stripped down and honest songwriting style reminded me a bit of the rockers I grew up listening to. In fact, as he acknowledges in the lyrics of one of his tunes, his goal was to mix southern rock and country .

What one gets when they listen to Tritt is no-nonsense, bona-fide new-style country. Where many so-called country stars are simply pop stars with a steel guitar, Tritt maintains a simplistic approach to his songs, letting good melodies, expressive lyrics, and less-is-more type arrangements carry the full weight of his tunes. I think this is mostly because he is a songwriter himself, so his performances are not merely expressions of some other person s art.

Hot Spots:
Here s A Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares) - This song is genius in it simplicity and sentiment. It s a basic three-chord song (what country song isn t?), with Tritt playing an acoustic guitar. The lyrics are basically a you-betrayed-me-so-screw-you-if-you-want-to-come-back message. Perfect for those people who want to tell someone to go jump off a bridge.

Anymore - One of many ballads on the disc, Tritt sings about the futility of denying his love for someone. If you ve ever pined for someone who didn t know how you felt, this is the song for you.

The Whiskey Ain t Workin - This duet with honky-tonker Marty Stuart is an up beat tune about trying to forget an old love. It s got some pretty good vocal harmonies, and a groove that is hard to resist.

Only You (And You Alone) - One of the brand new songs written for this album, this song has a crooning 1950 s flavor. It may be a cover song, I m not sure. In any case, it s distinctly different from the rest of the album, and I enjoy making up alternative lyrics when I sing along.

T-R-O-U-B-L-E - This stomper shows that Tritt can rock. It has a distinct southern rock feel to it, and is an excellent driving tune when you re out on the autobahn.

Ten Feet Tall & Bulletproof - This tongue in cheek song take a humorous poke at the craziness people get into when out on the town, sucking down beers. It s a fun song.

Drift Off To Dream - The closing song is a tender love ballad, sung not to a specific lover, but to the hope of finding love. But I know I ll find you, but girl till I do / this is my love song for you.

Overall:
Travis Tritt is one of my favorite country musicians, and this disk is as close as it comes to a perfect album. Granted, this was released in 1995, so it does not include many of his hits that he s produced since. But if you are looking for a good CD to get acquainted with his music, you can t go wrong with this. Every song is great, and will have you singing along in no time at all. I give this compilation five stars.