Country music is a tricky market. With a history that includes legends such as Johnny Cash, Woody Guthrie, and Emmylou Harris, it’s almost unbelievable that the scene today consists of artists who sing about nothing more than tractor pulls and slinging back a cold one. Trace Adkins’ new record, Cowboy’s Back In Town is not a collection of songs that pushes the envelope, nor is it a tribute to the Golden Age of county.

As if the worn-out bumpkin image weren’t enough, Adkins hasn’t done anything truly new here. With lyrics like “This ain’t no love song/I just felt like gettin’ my guitar on and singin’ a tune/feelin’ good and tappin’ my shoes” on “This Ain’t No Love Song,” (Listen Here)  Adkins gives listeners country-music-for-dummies material.

The LP is a manufactured compilation with down-home anthems such as, “Brown Chicken Brown Cow” and “Don’t Mind if I Do”, interspersed with power ballads that contemplate “haulin’ hay, watchin’ grass grow and sippin’ sweet tea.”

Adkins is every inch living up to stereotypes with tracks titled “Hold My Beer” and “Ala-freakin-bama”; both the lyrics and subject matter are predictable and unoriginal, even for commercial country music. On many of the songs the production is tight and the arrangements are catchy, however, and it’s a shame that such competent and beautiful use of the fiddle and slide guitar has to be corrupted in such a painful way.

For a country music superstar, it is remarkable that Trace Adkins could produce work so full of run of the mill clichés. After listening to this album, you might just think maybe music isn’t his calling.

Conclusion – Cowboy’s Back In Town will have you reaching for the BC Headache Powder, which coincidentally features Adkins as it’s spokesperson.