In the ’90s, Tracy Lawrence was part of the wave of pop-country marked by massive touring dollars and record sales levels not seen since, save for by a few blond girls. Like Alan Jackson and Clint Black, the nasally Lawrence was one of the most normal guys in country, turning in No. 1 singles like the heartbreaking “Alibis” and family chronicle “Time Marches On” that instantly hit the pleasure centers of country fans. There is something about that “Alibis” chorus that makes it one of cowboy-hat music’s saddest and catchiest cuts of the past few decades. Like many Southern crooners before him, Lawrence took a turn into Christian country in the late ’00s, all the while still playing those lovin’-and-leavin’ hits that broke him wide.
This article appears in May 31 – Jun 6, 2012.