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REVIEW:  Marshall Madison - Real

"I ain't pretty, but I'm real."  With that line, Marshall Madison tells you straight out what he is and what he does - he sings good.  He's a big guy with a big smile and he's actually prettier than he thinks he is, but he's sure no blow-dried faux-cowboy in tight jeans and a hat fresh out of the shop.  This is a guy you'd run into at any truck stop, a guy so real and so down-to-earth it's just as easy to picture him tooling around on a Harley as it is gear-jammin' in a Peterbilt.  But he's also possessed of a voice like thunder and some solid skill with the songwriter's pen.

Twelve standout tracks grace his debut album, "Real," giving the listener to hear, well, real country music.  It's a collection that's more than worth listening to, it's a real pleasure to spin.  Madison's songs are as real as he is.  From the slightly tongue-in-cheek title track to heartbreakers like "Tear In My Eye" and "Place of Shattered Dreams," he amply demonstrates all his skills.  He shows humor with "Harry Arm" (a strange spelling for what should be "Hairy Arm," not certain where that typo came along in the process), nostalgia with "Jackson, Mississippi," and gives a salute to the cowboy of the American open road with his "Trucker's Anthem."  How much more country can you get?

Last Word: If you want real country music, you don't have to look any further. This guys means it when he says he's "Real."

Standout Tracks: "Jackson, Mississippi," "Real," "Harry Arm," "Place of Shattered Dreams," "Bill."