Posted on: February 5, 2012 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Tim McGraw has had all the fame that one could conceivably want in country music. While it seems almost as if older performers can coast on the successes that they have achieved, McGraw’s work on Emotional Traffic shows a performer that still give it eir all. The album starts out with Halo, a longer track that sets up the overall feel of Emotional Traffic, along with the styles and sounds that ey will broach on each of the disc’s 12 tracks. Right Back Atcha Babe has all the emotional intensity that one can hope for, while these lines are captured brilliantly by a lively and vibrant guitar/drum dynamic. As the disc spins, McGraw finds eir way through life’s difficulties (I Will Not Fall Down) as well as longs for choices not taken (The One That Got Away).

Emotional Traffic is precisely that – the efforts on this album showcase McGraw at eir most vulnerable. While there are definitely tracks that will make it on GAC or CMT, I feel that the earnestness expressed on this album will have a much more personal effect on those that listen in.

There is not the precipitous drop in quality on Emotional Traffic that can be heard throughout country music; Only Human and Die By My Own Hand are two tracks that end the album with the same quality that it began. Emotional Traffic is McGraw’s eleventh album, but the amount of work put into this title is unheard of when it comes to veteran musicians. Bands like Aerosmith and performers like Pink should take some cues from McGraw in how to remain relevant in one’s later career. Give Emotional Traffic a spin today, even if you do not consider yourself to be a fan of country music.

Top Tracks: Right Back Atcha Babe, Better Than I Used To Be

Rating: 8.0/10

Tim McGraw – Emotional Traffic (CD) / 2012 Curb Records / 12 Tracks / http://www.curb.com / http://www.timmcgraw.com

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