Near the end of the title cut and opening song of Travis Tritt?s latest album, the acclaimed and accomplished country star unleashes a ferocious growl. ?The sound of outlaw music sets me free,? he roars, setting the tone for a collection that is startling in its forcefulness--even, perhaps, curiously so.

That Tritt would record an album of Southern rock- and blues-steeped country music is no surprise at all, however.

For it is precisely that flavor of the genre for which Tritt first gained notoriety, earning a reputation as country?s ?new outlaw? long before invoking the names Waylon and Cash became fashionable among upstart artists.

What begs examination, rather, is the manner in which Tritt?s artistry and career broadened after that initial rush of hit singles, platinum albums and sold-out tours. And why he has chosen this moment for such an invigorating return to his roots.

Over the course of his 15-year career, the Georgian has delighted fans and disarmed critics by exploring his deep love of hardcore country, flashing an ability and affinity for bluegrass, revealing unexpected sensitivity as a balladeer, winning respect as a formidable songwriter and, most emphatically, drawing widespread recognition as one of the .nest vocalists the genre has ever known.

In his personal life, Tritt spent the early part of his career living up to the outlaw image he projected, and has been very candid about his excesses.

But since his 1997 marriage, his third, he has settled in as a devoted husband and doting father of three. And it is against this backdrop of expansive artistry and harmonious home life that Tritt has recorded the most unapologetically aggressive and single-minded album of his career. Curious, indeed.

Born and raised in Marietta, Georgia, Tritt was an early and eager student of music, picking up guitar at age eight, singing in his church youth choir and playing in bluegrass, rock and country bands through his teens. His honky tonk history started when he applied his blue-collar work ethic to the diverse sounds of Southern popular music. Tritt spent years playing small clubs where he was expected to be able to cover everything from Hank Williams to Otis Redding to Skynyrd.

When he sings, ?I got these calluses from all those nights/Spent playing a Telecaster till my .ngers bled Bud Light? on the new album, Tritt?s is the voice of experience. And that apprenticeship served him well when he first began making overtures to Nashville. Armed with, a well-defined sense of artistic direction and that unmistakable voice, Tritt landed a major label deal and launched an impressive career.

His first single, 1989?s Country Club, roared into the top 10, and the album of the same name went on to become the first of many platinum records. He won the CMA?s prestigious Horizon Award in 1991, was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry the following year and amassed a body of hits including ?I?m Gonna Be Somebody,? ?Here?s A Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares),? ?Anymore,? ?Ten Feet Tall And Bulletproof,? ?Foolish Pride? and dozens more.

Those quick to peg Tritt as a rocker for his leather and long hair were time and again forced to backpedal. Whether it was picking up a banjo with the late bluegrass patriarch Bill Monroe or Earl Scruggs, or belting out soul and blues with artists like Patti Labelle and Buddy Guy, Tritt exploded stereotypes. A deep musical kinship with the late legend and fellow Georgian Ray Charles ran from Tritt?s childhood discipleship studying the icon?s groundbreaking Modern Sounds In Country & Western Music, all the way to a recent CMT Crossroads performance with Charles. And yet Travis also recorded with traditional country stalwart George Jones and released many a throwback country hit like ?Where Corn Don?t Grow.?