Joe Nichols 2011 CD, It's All Good. Photo courtesy of Universal Records South.

In many ways, It’s All Good is like the first page in the next chapter from the book of Joe Nichols. Just this past January, the 34-year-old Arkansas native released a greatest hits project that included chart-toppers like “Brokenheartsville” and “Gimmie That Girl.” Now with an empty canvas, Joe returns with his eighth studio album, a collection of 10 traditional-leaning tunes that display his natural everyman ease through lighthearted fun and moments of tight introspection.

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Joe wastes no time on the front end of It’s All Good, jumping right into the swampy groove of lead single “Take It Off.” Against banjo and lightly distorted guitars, the message is one that whether it’s stress on the job, a bottle cap or clothes over a bikini – they all must go. You got a week-of-worries on your mind/ Go on do whatcha wanna do/ Soak you up a little sunshine, he sings with an easygoing southern drawl. Joe’s laid-back vocal delivery has always been engaging, and things are no different here. “This Ole Boy” (written by the trio of hit songwriters known as the “Peach Pickers,” Dallas Davidson, Rhett Akins and Ben Hayslip) features upbeat drums and an accessible fiddle hook, while Joe shows off some serious agility moving through quick lines like, She sweetens my tea and butters my biscuit/ I am who I am and brother she gets it, before slowing up to smoothly add, I ain’t gotta change a thing. [Incidentally, "This Ole Boy" was also recorded by Craig Morgan and is Craig's latest single.]

The record is more “country” than some of its contemporaries, and Joe shines on the more traditional pieces. The title cut “It’s All Good” features twin fiddles and a deep melody over bright production. I don’t get blue, I don’t get mad/ If I’ve learned one thing from the year I’ve had/ It’s even if it all goes bad/ It’s all good, he sings with tight phrasing. Self-examination and introspection are probably most evident on the standout track “Somebody’s Mama,” which takes on the subject of regret. Continue Reading

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Trace Adkins (center) with Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and his wife, Anne, at the Nashville Chapter of the Recording Academy® Grammy Nominee party. Photo courtesy of The Recording Academy® 2009. Photograph by Rick Diamond/WireImage.com.

A year ago, Trace Adkins picked up his first-ever Grammy nomination for “You’re Gonna Miss This,” and he made a big deal out of it, heading off to Los Angeles to be part of the festivities surrounding the night.

As a first-timer, he hadn’t counted on the sheer volume of the event, and it wasn’t quite what he expected. The Country Music Association annually gives out 14 awards — most of them on its live telecast. But the Grammys, with more than 100 categories, distributes the bulk of its trophies in the hours leading up to the broadcast. A lot of the nominees — particularly those will be featured on TV — don’t even bother to attend the pre-telecast ceremony. Trace discovered that he’d gotten all dressed up for an event that didn’t feel quite so eventful.

This year, he picked up a second Grammy nomination, for “All I Ask For Anymore.” But if he should win on Sunday, someone will have to call him to let him know about it. He’ll be performing that night in Fairfax, Va., with Martina McBride and Sarah Buxton on the Shine All Night Tour.

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Trace Adkins photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

It’s a good time to be Trace Adkins. He sang with Toby Keith during their concert dates this year; he’s currently touring with Martina McBride in the Shine All Night Tour; he’s got a role in “Tough Trade,” a new series for the video-on-demand and online service EPIX; and he’s the inspiration for the Luke McBain comic book.

Distributors sold out the first McBain issue in a mere 48 hours. The second in the four-issue series comes out Dec. 16.

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