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Travis Tritt

Two SXSW conferences back, Bill Friskics-Warren and I played hooky and went to see Sam Moore and some other soul veterans at Zilker Park, surrounded mostly by citizens with the good sense to enjoy free music, instead of our peers. We were well-rewarded for our trouble.

Moore had a hell of a band, and some guest singers, including Travis Tritt. And Tritt was terrific, clearly enjoying himself, in fine, full voice, and absolutely natural as a southern country soul singer.

That was the second time I saw Tritt sing. The first time was at an anniversary for Ernest Tubb's Record Shop, shortly after I moved to Nashville. Tritt was a much bigger star just then. They had blocked off Broadway and set up a stage, but it was a brutally cold night and there weren't many of us there. Tritt came anyhow. He sang, and that may have been where I first heard his hit "Where Corn Don't Grow," which I still think a terrific piece of schmaltz.

So I was waiting when The Storm came in last summer. Co-produced by Tritt and Randy Jackson, who I gather is one of the judges on "Star Search", it was offered as his southern soul re-emergence. And the musicians are first-cabin, from Kenny Arnoff on some of the drums to Kenny Wayne Shepherd on some of the guitars (and Greg Leisz on various crying strings), Matt Rollings on some of the pianos. Quality all around. I'm not being disingenuous when I claim no knowledge of "Star Search" and Randy Jackson. I have no idea.

But I figured he was a pro, Tritt was a pro, the whole thing might be a little shinier than I like but it ought to be spectacular.

And it wasn't.

I'm still baffled.

I was reminded of this when I flipped past Tritt on Glenn Beck's chat show on CNN's Headline News Channel, which on our cable provider is right between the two ESPNs, CNN proper, and Spike (where I tend to spend a little too much time watching the UFC). That's my excuse, although I do find Beck oddly interesting. Anyhow. Tritt was wound up and chewing his gum too hard and maybe trying too hard to have something political to say, or maybe I just wasn't receptive to what he was saying. (It was the line about the Left Coasters who SAY they support our troops, but we know they don't REALLY mean it that got me to surf elsewhere.)

Whatever. We're not going to agree about politics.

But I bet we both agree he's got a great voice.

Regardless, what I really want to know is what happened to that guy I've seen on stage? What happened to that singer challenging the great Sam Moore (and his fabulous backup singers)? Where's all that heart and soul I've heard on stage, and on more than a few country singles?

Say what you will about his hair and his politics and some of the cheesy songs he's made hits: The man can flat sing. And I was so hoping The Storm would be the album I could finally hold up to Peter and insist upon the point. That maybe Tritt could even have a surprise, break-through hit with classic southern country soul, and open doors for Sam Moore and Mavis Staples and Carla Thomas and Bettye LaVette and Solomon Burke and all the others at the edge of the present soul revival.

Ah, well. Not the first time an artist has disappointed.

But I'll play his next album when it comes, too. Even though I can hear my readers laughing!

Posted by grant on December 13, 2007 12:20 PM | Permalink

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