The great thrill of buying a new CD sight-unseen is having your faith rewarded by noting that the sounds coming from your speakers are pleasing to the ear and that your hard-earned bucks weren’t wasted.

On my recent trip back east, I had exhausted the supply of CD’s I brought on my trip and, after an enjoyably exhausting day spent in Chicago, I was winding down and needed something to keep me interested (and awake) during the three hours of driving I faced.

After trudging through the rock/pop section and having nothing strike my fancy, I decided to venture into the country aisle and see if I might be able to scare up something good.

I happened upon Trent Tomlinson’s new CD, “Country Is My Rock” and, upon taking a look at the cover (a bandana and leather-clad Trent walking away from a chopper), figured this might be interesting. A quick glance at the song titles also seemed to hold some promise for some countrified humor as well.

From the opening title cut, I knew my risk had paid off. The lighting of a cigarette, a far-away plucking of a National guitar, and a wall of bluesy guitars came chugging out of my speakers. This ain’t your daddy’s country, but it does respect the Hanks and Waylons that came before.

Now, while Trent’s music may have an edge that sits more comfortably in the Georgia Satellites ballpark than, say, George Jones, Trent’s voice is 100% country. There’s no affected nasal tone, or overdone southern twang here. When Trent sings, you know this guy can hold his own with the best of country’s legends.

Name-checking Jim Beam in no less than three songs doesn’t hurt his country cred either.

Take Trent for a test drive and, if so inclined, buy his new CD:

Country Is My Rock
Hey Batter Batter
The Next Time

Tagged in: