Trace Adkins celebrates 25th anniversary with "The Way I Wanna Go"

Twenty-five-year Local 257 member Trace Adkins is celebrating his 25th anniversary in style with a double album, "The Way I Wanna Go," an ambitious 25-song musical journey. Adkins’ unmistakable country baritone is cast in a variety of settings, ranging from contemporary country production numbers complete with ambient textures and percussive loops, to more intimate songs that strip things down to the essentials. The album features many AFM 257 members, including drummers Jerry Roe and Shawn Fichter, bassists Steve Mackey and Mark Hill, Jim “Moose” Brown and Gordon Mote on keys, and a slew of great guitarists including Tom Bukovac, Troy Lancaster, Pat Buchanan, Derek Wells, Biff Watson, Ilya Toshinskiy, J.T. Corenflos, and Mickey Jack Cones, who also played keys and coproduced the majority of the album with Derek George.

The opening track “Where I Am Today,” sets the tone with a straight-ahead drum groove from Roe, big chord changes, swirling sonic textures and a busy lyric that Adkins handles with ease. There are several vocal collaborations on the album, including “Where the Country Girls At” with an unusual pairing of Luke Bryan and Pitbull, but their lighthearted approach makes it work. “Love Walks Through the Rain” is a duet with Melissa Etheridge that rises and falls in dramatic fashion, and the unlikely vocal blend of Etheridge’s bluesy edge and Adkin’s deep tones resonates really well. “Finding My Groove,” cowritten by AFM 257 member Dan Smalley, is a sweet, intimate song with a positive message of hope that Adkins and band deliver in a passionate, yet understated performance with Mike Johnson’s steel as a melodic counterpoint.

“Honey Child” is a flashback song to first love that lifts and descends with soaring slide guitar. “Jesus Was a Hippie” is an unexpected lyrical left turn, with a dreamy backing track surrounding Adkins’ sincere vocal. Starting out with a bluesy piano intro by Mote, “Memory to Memphis” has a funky groove reminiscent of Little Feat, featuring the soulful Keb’ Mo’ on guest vocals and the always amazing Stevie Wonder on harmonica. “You’re Mine” is a gorgeously intimate tune with Johnson’s steel and Jenee Fleenor’s stacked fiddles and mandolin adding the perfect touch.

The second half of the album opens with the title track, with a chugging mid-tempo groove that opens up wide in the verses for Adkins’ big vocal presence, and the lyrics speak to a life full of the right kind of things. The false ending and big guitar/vocal fade take the listener to an arena-sized venue. “If I Was a Woman” is a predictably hilarious duet with Blake Shelton, which works because they don’t take themselves too seriously. It includes funky guitar by the late great J.T. Corenflos, and horns by Jim Horn, Steve Patrick, and John Hinchey. “Careful Girl” is a slightly inside lyric about songwriter inspiration, but Adkins’ vocal is unpretentious, and the understated taste of the band brings it all together.

“Somewhere in America” is a driving patriotic-themed tune that celebrates all that is good about our country, a welcome uplifting sentiment during these challenging times. The unusual duet choices reach a peak with infamous rapper Snoop Dogg joining Adkins for “So Do the Neighbors,” a jaunt through the melting pot of a diverse neighborhood, and they both sound like they are enjoying themselves in a big way. “I Should Let You Go” brings it all back home to a more traditional country vibe, and shows the vulnerable side of Adkins to great effect with sweet fiddles by Fleenor. “Low Note” shows off the amazing low end of Adkins’ voice in a tongue-in-cheek ode to putting folks in their place.

The album closes with “Welcome To,” a party song with twangy guitars that sounds like the beginning of yet another chapter in the very interesting career of Trace Adkins. Adkins — soon to also include a starring role in the new Nashville-based series, "Monarch." Here’s to 25 more years!

— Roy Montana