Who I Am by Alan Jackson (CD, Jun-1994, Arista)

"Gone Country" was nominated for 1996 Grammy Awards for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song.

Alan Jackson, King Of The Hunky-Tonkers, will not disappoint his fans with WHO I AM. Swathed in traditional guitar pickin', moaning steel and slide guitars and wailing fiddles, Jackson's sumptuous baritone glides smoothly through lyrical and musical territory similar to his previous platinum releases.

The Georgia native gets down to business with the first cut, a down-home remake of the Eddie Cochran rock nugget "Summertime Blues." In Jackson's hands, it's another good-ol'boy party anthem in the tradition of his mega-hit "Chattahoochee."

Jackson proves to be a clever, straightforward country songwriter, contributing crisp country hits. As usual, themes deal with red necks and blue collars, but this time there is an overriding, articulated desire to be off the road, where, he reveals in "Job Description," "I just sing for the people, count the money and miles back home to you."

The musicians are given full reign to show off their skills on tunes that range from plaintive ballads to country rave-ups. But it's a song, "Gone Country," that steals the show. With understated delivery and sly resolve, Jackson non-judgmentally slurs "here he comes," and you know he has nothing to fear from the Jackson wannabes he's acknowledging.