A while back I was listening to one of my playlists, on shuffle as is often the case, when "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'" by Travis Tritt and featuring Marty Stuart came on. I couldn't remember the last time I had heard it, but I found myself singing along with it. The song seemed to stay with me over the next couple of days. It just kept getting stuck in my head. Finally, I decided I needed to go back and listen to the album it's on.
I don't know about anyone else, but I don't listen to albums in their entirety as often as I probably should. Listening to this one got me thinking about how I need to start making a habit of going back and listening to older albums every now and then. That got me thinking about how in this culture, everyone is always looking for the next big thing. The next hit. The next superstar. That's not always a bad thing. There's certainly new artists I'm excited about and there's some albums coming out that I'm looking forward to hearing.
But that doesn't change the fact that there is a plethora of great albums that came out years ago that are just as good today as they were when they were released. Great music is great music, period. There's so many albums that stand the test the time and deserve to still be listened to.
Which is why I've decided to start making a point to feature older albums. I've sort of done this with an album or two in the past, but I want to make it at least a semi-regular thing. Considering that it was a Travis Tritt song and then album that set me down this path, it seemed only fitting to feature that album first.
It's All About to Change came out in 1991. Now I was exposed to different kinds of music growing up, but country music reigned supreme. If we were in the car headed somewhere and listening to music, odds are that it was something country. Sometimes it'd be country radio. Other times it'd be a CD. There were certain acts that got listened to more than others and Travis Tritt was in that category.
If you've been a country fan for a long time, you know he's great. But if you're a newer fan of country music and haven't ever listened to Travis Tritt, you're going to want to change that. He has so many great songs and he's one that I feel like everyone should have in their music collection. It's All About to Change would be a good place to start.
I would've been about eight years old when it came out and it's been interesting listening to this album again as an adult. I definitely have a better appreciation for it now. It's a strong album and if you like that traditional 90s country sound with some Southern rock tossed in there, you should like this.
1) "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'" which features the wonderful Marty Stuart. There's another old to add to your music collection. When these two get together, great things happen. This song being one of them. It's just a great all-around country song. It's about a man who is looking for a good woman because as the title suggest, the whiskey? It's not working anymore. Just be warned: this one's an ear worm.
2) "Don't Give Your Heart to a Rambler". This one's coming from the perspective of a rambler who is advising a woman not to give him her heart. Because he really doesn't want to hurt her and that's what'll happen if she hangs around. He'll end up leaving and she'll be heartbroken. I love the way this one feels.
3) "Anymore". It's so funny the songs that tend to stick with you. There were some songs of this album that I don't remember listening to, but "Anymore" is one that's stayed with me. I remember liking it as a kid and loving it now. It's such a great lyric about a guy who can't deny his love for this woman anymore. I mean, "My heart can't take the beating / not having you to hold/ A small voice keeps repeating / deep inside my soul / It says I can't keep pretending / I don't love you anymore". It's a beautifully crafted song and arguably his best vocal on the album.
4) "Here's a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)". Is it my imagination or do a lot of albums tend to fall apart right about here? Maybe fall apart is too strong a phrase. I just feel like there's a lot of albums that start off strong and it's around the fourth song where you see a drop in quality. And then here we have Travis Tritt and "Here's a Quarter (Call Somehow Who Cares)" in this spot. No drop in quality here! He's not playing around, y'all. This is such a great kiss off song. When that person you're completely over is trying to worm their way back into your life, hit them with this. Let them find someone who cares because you sure as heck don't.
5) "Bible Belt" featuring Little Feat. If you've seen My Cousin Vinny this song is the one that playing during the credits, with the lyrics tweaked to fit the movie. If this song doesn't get you dancing, you might want to check your pulse. It is impossible for me to keep still when I listen to this song. This has got to be my favorite song on the album. I just love it. I always crank it up whenever it happens to come on. Because how can you not?
6) "It's All About to Change". Here's the thing about this album: there's not a weak song on it. Some are more known than others, but it's such a solid album from top to bottom. Love the steel on this one. For anyone who has tried to make their relationship work and has finally realized that it doesn't matter what you do. It's never going to work. It just isn't. And now you understand that everything is about to change. Starting now.
7) "Nothing Short of Dying". Another wonderful lyric about a love that's been lost. "And I find myself crying / and trying to hold on / 'cause there ain't nothing short of dying / that's worse than being left alone." I have to say that hearing this one almost makes me weep for some of the ridiculous songs that get cut these days.
Don't get me wrong. I like some songs that could be considered ridiculous, but there's some songs that just shouldn't get cut and do. I feel like one of the things that country music - country radio, in particular - is in desperate need of is more substance. More songs like this one that make you feel something real. In fairness, there are still plenty of songs with substance getting written, but they often don't get cut. And the ones that not only make it on an album, but to radio often don't do as well as they should.
There's also times when you feel like weak songs get cut and everyone involved knows they're weak, but don't care because they're just album cuts and who cares about them? You know who cares about them? I do. Along with a lot of other fans. With the enormous amount of songs getting written in Nashville alone, there's no excuse for letting weak songs on an album. Some artists need to take a lesson from Travis Tritt and others like him. Were all of these songs singles? Of course not. But none of them are weak. They're all good.
Well, that was an unexpected soapbox moment. Let's get back to the album itself.
8) "If Hell Had a Jukebox". This one might win for best title. I really like this concept. Look at some of these lyrics. "If hell had a jukebox / And the devil kept it full of hurting songs / you could find me there this evening / with the broken hearted grieving", "And I dropped a million quarters down the jukebox / 'Cause I'm still haunted by what used to be our song", "I don't see how the fires below / where you wanted me to go / could be worse than the hell I'm living here on Earth."
9) "Someone For Me". I'd say that out of all the songs on this album, this one hits the closest to home. There's been so many times when it's seemed like everyone I know is in a relationship. Except for me. It's one of those things that might not bother you most of the time, but every now and then it just hurts. These are the best kinds of songs because they're so relatable. I think everyone has wondered this at some point in their lives. "Tell me when will I have a love of my own / will there ever be someone for me."
10) "Homesick". Being homesick has never sounded so good. Great way to finish out the album, in my opinion. Closing it out with a rocking uptempo with a cool groove to it. I'm here for it. Another one you just want to crank up. At least I do.
Yeah, It's All About to Change is a great album and if it's not in your collection, you're going to want to fix that. Seriously. And maybe check out some of his other albums while you're at it. I think it's fair to assume that another Travis Tritt album might get featured at some point. He's definitely one of the great ones.
Where to keep up with Travis Tritt:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Where to keep up with Travis Tritt:
Website
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