Strong Enough

On the verge of turning 40, Travis Tritt filled 2002’s Strong Enough with expressions of weariness. But rather than the bitter tiredness found in many aging country stars, Tritt brings poignancy and tenderness to “Country Ain’t Country.” It isn't about the music industry but rather the modernization of the rural South: “He told his daddy catch up with the times/He said nowadays people trade heifers online/Dad ain't selling deals with a handshake like before/Country ain’t country no more.” Even in the midst of shifting traditions, Tritt upholds some of country music’s greatest ideals. The sound of Strong Enough is full and natural without being antiquated, but more importantly, Tritt uses his songs to address themes of sobriety (“You Can’t Count Me Out”), making amends (“I Don’t Ever Want Her to Feel That Way Again”), and the glory of womankind (“God Must Be a Woman”). He's a Nashville rarity: a country superstar with integrity. It’s the reason he can celebrate the bad behavior of “You Can’t Tell Me Nothin’” and then turn around and slay listeners with the tenderness of “Now I’ve Seen It All.”