Southern Voice

Performer: Tim McGraw
Engineer: Sara Lesher; Erik Lutkins
Producer: Tim McGraw; Darran Smith; Byron Gallimore
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Personnel: Bob Minner (acoustic guitar); Denny Hemingson (electric guitar, steel guitar); Darran Smith (electric guitar); Dean Brown (mandolin, fiddle); Jeff McMahon (piano, Wurlitzer organ, synthesizer); Billy Mason (drums); David Dunkley (congas, percussion). Audio Mixers: Tim McGraw; Byron Gallimore. Photographer: Danny Clinch. Based on title alone, it would seem that SOUTHERN VOICE picks up on the harder country edges of LET IT GO, but that's not the case: this is Tim McGraw's rockiest album yet, opening with a slow, spacy crawl called "Still" that would not be out of place on a record by a U2 knockoff and taking the occasional detour to Nickelback territory on the Chad Kroeger co-written "It's a Business Doing Pleasure with You." That tune bristles with Kroeger's barely veiled, unwitting hostility, something that the big-hearted McGraw doesn't wear well and it's something he wisely side-steps on the rest of the record, choosing to mine a sentimental, meditative vein, musing on major changes in his life and wondering what will happen after he's gone. Such big themes fit both the big, atmospheric rock sounds and the reflective acoustic ballads well, creating an inward vibe that is occasionally punctuated by a rocker, like the laundry list of great Southern names on the title track.

Entertainment Weekly (p.58) - "McGraw clearly knows his country touchstones, spinning vivid tales from both the Good Book and jailbird dads." -- Grade: B Billboard (p.32) - "Standout tracks include 'Ghost Town Train,' which echoes the work of Glen Campbell, and 'Good Girls,' a dark tale of cheating with an unexpected twist."

A slow starter career-wise, Tim McGraw, son of baseball legend Tug McGraw, eventually became one of the biggest country stars of the new millennium. After several failed singles, his politically-incorrect novelty number, "Indian Outlaw," became his breakthrough hit. McGraw's highly emotional delivery, coupled with his high-energy stage show and his knack for selecting excellent material, shot him to the top of the country and the pop albums charts by the late '90s. After McGraw married fellow star Faith Hill, the two became an unstoppable force, scoring hit duets and armfuls of awards, and mounting a top-grossing joint tour.

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