Greg Trooper: Make It Through This World

Herald rating: * * * *

Although based in Nashville, singer-songwriter Trooper - now eight albums into a career - has something of a Southern soul stylist about him, obvious here in This I'd Do and the beautiful break-up song Lonely Pair which Sam Cooke deserved to live to cover.

On this album, Trooper teams up with producer Dan Penn for an easy-on-the-ear selection which not only touches those soulful places but nods to fast-shuffle country-pop (Green Eyed Girl), chiming but leisurely balladry (the title track), and in No Higher Ground - which owes a debt to Randy Newman's Louisiana - he addresses the politics around the 1900 hurricane which devastated Galveston and left 6000 dead.

Lyrically his refined songs are often about mature and unblinkered love (the happy acceptance of a lover lying about how wonderful he is on I Love Her When She Lies), and he takes an amusing poke at some country music contemporaries (When I Think Of You My Friends).

Trooper's songs have correctly been much admired and here he seems at his most relaxed as Penn's production brings out the smoother side of his sometimes gravel-like delivery. With guitarists Bill Kirchen and Steve Fishell (dobro, lap steel) and Kevin McKendree's keyboards (which include lovely Wurlitzer and Hammond organ complementing the soulful sound), this is Trooper's most comfortable-sounding album yet.

Label: Sugar Hill