When Aaron Tippin first burst upon the scene in 1990 with the anthem, You've Got To Stand For Something (from the album of the same name), he was hailed by many critics as sort of second coming of Hank Williams -- an unvarnished singer/songwriter making gutbucket hillbilly music. In some ways that was true -- his raw vocals, occasional yodels and simple, unadorned themes harked back to the 50's -- but with heavy drum beats and goosed-up guitars mixed heavily alongside the fiddle and steel, there was no mistaking that Tippin's was country music for the 90's. Perhaps we could call him a "new traditionalist." Whatever you call him, his debut was a fine effort -- just plain good music (even after the flag-waving politicos picked up on Stand For Something at the height of the Gulf War).
Now Tippin's back with his second album and "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" seems to apply. Emory Gordy Jr. takes the reins as producer once again; Tippin co-wrote all ten songs here (nine songs on cassette), as he did on his debut; and like the first album, there ae some fine ballads, some great-sounding, up-tempo grabbers, an anthem and a couple of throw-away novelties. Foremost among the latter group is the first single, Ain't Nothin' Wrong With The Radio, a meaningless-but-catchy song about a beat-up old truck that seems nothing more than a backdrop for a video (references to blasting the radio, run-ins with the police, cruising with beauty queens, etc.,etc.). The other is the CD-only extra track, I Miss Misbehavin'.
Then there's the anthem. Here it's I Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way. While Stand For Something worked, this one doesn't, at all. It's a preachy and cliche-ridden ode to being a rebel -- try not to barf, but be your own man and stick to your guns are more than themes here, they're actual lines to the song!
Most everything else works, and a couple of songs even have the worth-the-price-of-the-album quality: The Sound Of Your Goodbye and These Sweet Dreams. The Sound Of Your Goodbye features some find guitar work, original lyrics and a sure-fire-hit sound. These Sweet Dreams, written by Tippin and Butch Curry is a hauntingly beautiful, Jones-like ballad about lost love that cuts right to the heart. I Was Born With A Broken Heart, a fine tune co-written by Tippin and Jim McBride that was a minor hit for Josh Logan in 1989, follows the same theme but is more up-tempo. Tippin turns in a good performance here, though the song seems more suited to Logan's Vern Gosdin-like delivery of the lyric.
Another high point is the anguished ballad, If I Had It To Do Over, in which Aaron gives one of his strongest vocal performances. The pain and loss come pouring out in this lament that's crossed every mind at one time or another.
On the whole, Read Between The Lines almost matches the quality of his debut, and Tippin seems to be setting himself up for the long haul. And that's good -- as long as there's an Aaron Tippin, a Marty Brown or a Jann Browne to keep the raw edge in country vocals, we won't have to lament the loss of another piece of country music's identity.
