NORTH OF NASHVILLE
by Ken Churilla
 | Country singing star, TRACY LAWRENCE, is on the comeback trail with his new
album.
|
I was with a friend the other day and we started talking about the new
Tracy Lawrence album and how excited I am that he was finally coming out with
a new recording. I have been a big fan of his for a long time and I am happy
to see country music getting one of their truly gifted stars back into the
fold.
What surprised me so much though, was her response. At one point in
time, you could not have found a bigger Tracy Lawrence fan than this woman.
But now, at the mere mention of his name, she had such a scowl on her face
and a chip on her shoulder, frankly it even frightened me.
What bothers me so much, was that her staunchly negative reaction had
nothing at all to do with his music. So, I wanted to spend some time in this
month's column talking about this artist.
Tracy is finally taking a shot at a comeback this year with his new album,
aptly titled Lessons Learned. Musically speaking, this is every bit the
album that Tracy needed to come back from his extended hiatus. The music is
strong, his voice is much better than it was when he left, and every one of
the songs speak volumes. Both with sound quality and its message.
But we all knew that while the music is ultimately the thing that will
determine an artist's worth, Tracy has some bigger battles to fight. And a
good album was just the start.
We all know what kind of problems Tracy has had over the past few years
and what kind of tolls they have taken on him and his career.
Before all of his marital and temperament problems started, Tracy was
living large...really large!
He was touring successfully as a headline act and at radio, he was
stringing together hit after hit. All of this, resulted in his selling
millions and millions of albums. Then the problems began and they not only
drove him out of the spotlight, but into virtual seclusion for nearly three
years.
We don't need to re-hash his problems again here, but let's just say they
aren't as easy to forgive as say, unpaid parking tickets.
Now I've known Tracy ever since his first album came out and while I would
be lying to call him a 'friend,' I can honestly say that I've gotten to know
him a little bit over time. I've seen him grow from the new young rebel in
town to one of the leading men in the industry. And then, sadly, I saw him
fall.
But I give Tracy a lot of credit. Forget about the music - I give him
credit as a man. While Tracy was away, he didn't just duck his head in the
sand and wait for all the smoke to clear. He went out and got some help
dealing with his temper. He didn't run away. He saw the problem, addressed
it, and is now committed to making it better.
I guess my whole purpose with getting up on this this soap box here, is
that I want to encourage the country music fans who once embraced his music
to give him another chance.
Yes, he made some mistakes, and yes, they were pretty awful ones. But
remember, that before he was a recording star, he was just another human
being, someone just like you and me.
The next time you wander into a bar, look at the person singing at the
karaoke machine or the guys in the local band. That's exactly what Tracy
was. Just another person trying to find a niche and trying to chase a dream.
And that's what he still is - just another person, just another human
being trying to make his way through life.
And as a human being, he's going to make mistakes, just like you and I
do. Take a long hard look into the mirror and if you can tell me that you
are perfect or that you've never hurt anyone, then let me just say that
you're a better person than the rest of us.
Don't get me wrong, I don't excuse him for what he did. But he has made
an honest effort to overcome his past problems and because of that, I do
forgive him.
If you don't like Tracy's music, then fine. Sell his albums at the local
used CD store or turn them into drink coasters.
As I said earlier, artists should be judged on their music. But if the
only reason you are staying away or if the first thing you think of are his
past mistakes, then give the man a chance to show you that he's grown.
Everybody makes mistakes in their lives. Lord knows I have and I imagine
that you probably have too. Sadly, you can never go back and change what
has happened. If you could, we would all likely go back and make a change at
some point in our lives.
The best we can do is recognize our past mistakes, learn from them and
make an effort to insure that they never happen again.
Lawrence has done that. You really can't ask for anything more from a man
than that.
| 
