The Very Best of Travis Tritt (Remastered)

This compilation of hits starts with the late '80s, when Travis Tritt was a Nashville newcomer from suburban Atlanta with a musical approach that was equal parts Charlie Daniels, Waylon Jennings, and Otis Redding. 1989’s “Country Club” was a fairly straightforward, snappy piece of honky-tonk swing. Yet Tritt was soon integrating his love for gospel music, R&B, and Southern rock in songs like “T-R-O-U-B-L-E,” “Help Me Hold On," and “Here’s a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares).” Tritt’s singing blended classic Southern masculinity with kindness. But where his peers often resorted to slow-moving songs that sounded dramatic but were flimsy at the core, “Anymore,” “Drift Off to Dream," and “Foolish Pride” proved that the Georgian singer could completely fill up a big song with full-bodied conviction. “It’s Great Day to Be Alive” and a cover of The Eagles’ “Take It Easy” are such bright, shining winners that Tritt’s talent for gentler, folk-oriented songs is often overlooked. The acoustic “Nothing Short of Dying” and a classic rendition of Steve Earle’s “Sometimes She Forgets” are two of the sweetest songs here.