After a successful three-CD run at RCA that yielded a pair of top-10 album entries and six top-10 singles, Nashville country-rocker Griggs moved to the indie Montage label. This latest release makes good on the huskier promise his voice always implied, by doing away with the mannered arrangements with which he was framed at RCA. His hand-picked producer, Frank Myers, loads up muscled guitars, bass and drums, ala Montgomery Gentry and Big & Rich, and spurs Griggs to dig down for grittier performances. Unlike the Muzik Mafia's cohorts, Griggs mostly sings without irony, pouring emotion into the lyrics of upbeat rockers, banjo-lined country tunes and ballads alike. This isn't to suggest he can't lighten up, as he does in reading the riot act of "You Can't Drive My Cadillac," but it's the exception in a program of serious songs. The album's first singles, "Tattoo Rose" and "What If It's Me" stalled in the mid-50s, but that's more a reflection on country radio's MOR tastes (and major label dependency) than the energy and quality of Griggs' work. Those who liked Griggs voice but found his RCA releases limited by Nashville's studio sound should give him a second listen; fans will enjoy hearing his passion unleashed. [©2008 hyperbolium dot com]