[img width=662.5px]//7ca49eb9f67ba1319ef136f9d52cd8b8.cdn.bubble.io/f1726110457161x755009533866611000/richtext_content.jpeg[/img] [b]FOX KEEPS TRADITIONAL TWANG IN ALBUM[/b] George Fox: With All My Might (WEA). If you've heard him interviewed, it's tough to be objective about George Fox's recordings. The guy is so genuine, so free of showbiz conceit, he can lasso your affections even before you hear what he sounds like. When he starts singing, you might as well sign your heart away. From the first notes of this album's leadoff single No Trespassing. Fox's compelling baritone and palpable honesty reach out and connect with the listener. To top it off, he's a gifted songwriter whose palette contains a rainbow of moods and shadings. No Trespassing (for which there's a striking video, shot on Fox's Cochrane ranch and featuring his dad), is a moving tribute to rural values and a call for preservation of the land. Far from hardcore country, it recalls John Cougar Mellencamp with its wistful harmonica. Several other tracks, notably the political Mr. President with its stirring near-rock feel, could easily make it with Mellencamp fans. The album's title track also has crossover potential, and the danceable Lonely Tears has a very modern feel. But Fox certainly hasn't abandoned traditional twang. There's the exquisite hurtin' song This House (Is Haunted) and a respectful cover of Hank Williams' Long Gone Lonesome Blues. His vocal quality also changes dramatically for the rockabilly Lime Rickey, which would have fit) nicely into Elvis Presley's early repertoire. There's just one weak track, Comin' Around, an obvious Springsteen turn that doesn't work. But even it has a strong arrangement and the same topnotch musicianship and production as the rest" of the disc (veteran Anne Murray producer Brian Ahern was at the controls for seven tracks). Fox is making clear nods to his various influences on this album (even doing a Bob Dylan cover, I Threw It All Away) and some may wish the tributes were more subtle. Just who the real George Fox is will likely emerge in subsequent albums as he settles into his own style. But this one will deservedly make him a bona fide star. It's great music, not just great country. -Alison Mayes
