Country superstar Tim McGraw has once again taken the express lane straight to the top of the charts with the release of his eleventh studio album Emotional Traffic. The 12-track triumph debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Album chart (his 13th chart-topping debut) and No. 2 on the overall Billboard 200 (his 14th top 10), moving 68,000 units in its first week out. McGraw’s mastery of the charts is both a testament to his talent and the loyalty his legions of fans have shown him for over two decades.
Driven To Succeed: The only title that truly defines Tim McGraw is bonafide superstar. In addition to his 13 No. 1 debuting albums, the handsome devil from Delhi, LA has produced 32 No. 1 singles, including his latest, “Felt Good On My Lips,” off Emotional Traffic, has sold north of 44 million albums worldwide and sold out football stadiums and basketball arenas the world over. So dominant has been his reign as king of country radio that he was named Artist of the Decade (2000-2010) by the ratings service Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems.
It would be easy for McGraw to rest on his robust laurels, but that just wouldn’t be Tim McGraw. Constantly driven to offer up his best work, whether it be in his music or equally impressive movie roles (Friday Night Lights, Country Strong, The Blind Side), he recently told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that his current emotionally powerful single, “Better Than I Used to Be,” is “one of the best songs I’ve ever recorded” and Emotional Traffic is “certainly one of the best records we’ve ever made.” Clearly, consumers and critics agree.
The multiple Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association Male Vocalist of the Year’s current classic begins with the touching “Halo” and kicks into overdrive with “Right Back Atcha Babe.” McGraw’s emotional road trip continues with “One Part, Two Part;” “I Will Not Fall Down” (written by McGraw, Martina McBride and Brett and Brad Warren); “The One;” the previously mentioned “Better Than I Used to Be;” the surprisingly sensitive “Touchdown Jesus;” “The One That Got Away;” “Felt Good On My Lips;” the funky “Hey Now;” “Only Human” featuring a collaboration with pop and R&B star Ne-Yo; and the album closer “Die By My Own Hand.”
With a list of awards as long as an endless highway, a stack of successful albums and singles as high as a skyscraper and a tremendously talented and beautiful wife (Faith Hill) by his side, Tim McGraw is seemingly on the fast track to the Country Music Hall of Fame. But before he’s parked alongside the greatest acts in country music history, he will continue to drive home the point that Emotional Traffic may be one of his best bodies of work ever. Pick up a copy and enjoy the ride.
Getting Better And Better: Enjoy Tim performing “Better Than I Used To Be” live on ABC’s The View:
As A Matter of Fact…
* Tim McGraw was born on May 1, 1967 in Delhi, LA. His father was former New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Tug McGraw, who died in 2004.
* Though McGraw did not discover that Tug was his dad until he was 11 years old and had no idea he was a pro player, Tim later attended Northeast Louisiana University on a baseball scholarship.
* McGraw signed his first recording contract with Curb Records in 1990. Two years later he released his self-titled debut album.
* Following a run of seven shows in Australia, Tim McGraw will kick off the Brothers of the Sun tour with Kenny Chesney on June 2 in Tampa, FL. The stadium road trip will end with a two-night stand at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA on August 24 and 25.