Move over, Garth, and step aside, Alan Jackson: The hottest ticket in Nashville is here! Daryle Singletary's self-titled debut is a certifiable, hardcore, countrified classic.
    A little bit rowdy, a tad sarcastic and long on honky-tonk, Singletary's first effort is a testament to good, solid music and proves that simple is often better.
   In the new dawn of the Nashville music scene, Singletary's music stands apart from the glitz and glamour of big musical productions. Every song- from the opening romp "Too Much Fun" to covers of traditional classics like George Jones' "What Am I Doing There" and Keith Whitley's "Would These Arms Be in Your Way" -are filled with the sparse, primitive sounds that have defined country music for nigh onto 70 years.
   A protege of Randy Travis, Singletary pays tribute to his mentor with understated simplicity throughout this fine collection.

-Charlton Wiggins