{"id":39690,"date":"2006-03-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2006-03-24T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/make-it-through-this-world\/"},"modified":"2006-03-24T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2006-03-24T00:00:00","slug":"make-it-through-this-world","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/make-it-through-this-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Make It Through This World"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Greg Trooper’s last name is an apt description for
\nhis music — while it may be musically married to country and folk
\ndownbeats, it’s lyrically upbeat, almost as if Trooper has seen the
\ndepression and is ready to face the world again. “I just need some
\ntime to shake off half a century \/ Back in the world I’ll climb \/
\nOnce I dream away these blues,” he sings in the opening number, and
\nhe sounds like he means it.<\/p>\n

Trooper’s voice is a pleasant mix between Randy
\nNewman and any modern country singer you can think of — Travis
\nTritt, for example. His music plays like that as well, blending
\ncountry and folk with soul and pop, and those upbeat lyrics are
\ncertainly a welcome listen in the post-9\/11 music scene. Even the
\nadmissions of defeat — “When I go to meet my maker \/ And she says
\nI’ve got to choose \/ Give the girl the rhythm \/ I’ll take the
\nblues” — sound fun, like Trooper is smiling as he gives up his
\nlife for the girl in “This I’d Do.”<\/p>\n

The smoky ambience of the disc would fit in perfectly
\nat a coffeeshop or summer folk festival, and that’s likely who this
\ndisc will appeal to. Trooper has no overarching hook that will
\nappeal him to the mainstream — he’s too laid-back and folk-ish to
\nbe on country radio, but too confessional to be mainstream easy
\nlistening. Those into Greg Brown and the folk scene will get the
\nmost out of this, but country listeners who enjoy a bit of
\nvariation on their genre will enjoy this as well.<\/p>\n

None of the songs overstay their welcome, but they
\ndon’t branch out either from basic singer\/songwriter territory.
\nTrooper offers some pleasant solos and his rhythm section is
\ncompetent but unchallenging, sounding a bit like the Eagles on some
\ntracks, especially the title track. But as on his Sugar Hill debut
\nFloating<\/i>, Trooper is always able to retain a sort of
\ndetached commentary on his vocals — he never sounds emotional,
\ninstead shooting for confessional, and it suits his style well.<\/p>\n

The most lyrically potent moment is “No Higher
\nGround,” about a flood in Galveston, while the most musically
\ninteresting is “When I Think Of You,” the most countrified song on
\nthe disc. “Close To The Tracks” also is a strong number that
\nrecalls Bruce Springsteen, while “Lonesome For You Now” is the most
\nwistful Trooper ever gets, and his confession is more heartfelt
\nthan most of his contemporaries.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, Make It Through This World<\/i> ends
\nup being too subdued for its own good. None of the songs are
\nparticularly memorable on first listen, and Trooper never varies
\nhis style of singing or his backing band too much – with all the
\nstyles present, something should be more arresting. It sounds nice
\nas it plays, and the man can write good lyrics, but the disc never
\nreally takes off beyond anything more than competent.<\/p>\n

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