This I Gotta See (CD - 2004)

Personnel: Andy Griggs (background vocals); Andy Griggs (vocals); Delbert McClinton, Bekka Bramlett (vocals, background vocals); Nashville String Machine (strings); Steve Nathan (piano, Wurlitzer piano, organ, Hammond b-3 organ, Wurlitzer organ, synthesizer); Michael Omartian (piano, Hammond b-3 organ); Michael Rhodes (bass guitar); Neil Thrasher, Russell Terrell (hand claps, background vocals); Donny Kees, Wendell Mobley (hand claps); Chip Davis, Wes Hightower (background vocals); Randy Scruggs (acoustic guitar, slide guitar, National guitar, banjo); Biff Watson (acoustic guitar); Brent Rowan (electric guitar, slide guitar); Dan Dugmore (electric 12-string guitar, steel guitar, dobro); Glen Duncan, Stuart Duncan (mandolin, fiddle); Greg Morrow (drums, percussion).

Audio Mixer: Steve Marcantonio.

Recording information: Ocean Way Studios, Nashville, TN; SCruggs Sound Studio, Nashville, TN.

Photographer: Pamela Springsteen.

Andy Griggs has a voice suited for hard country music: strong and gritty, yet his twangy tenor shows just enough vulnerability to coax out a tear or two. Too bad that he has yet to make an album that lives up to that voice. On his third album, This I Gotta See, he delivers a professional, assured contemporary country record that flirts with his harder honky tonk influences, yet it's still the slickest effort he's cut, heavy on sweet ballads and melodic mid-tempo tunes, with a few faster numbers that offer a nice change of pace. These are well-constructed songs and productions, and Griggs sells them well, but they're not particularly memorable; by and large, they're pleasant listening, not captivating, even if his voice demands your attention. At times, he gets a song that gives him a good showcase for his talents -- ballads like "Be Still," or ravers like the lean "Hillbilly Band" -- but when the album ends with the laid-back, soulful, pure country "No Mississippi" (featuring guest appearances by Bekka Bramlett and Delbert McClinton), it's clear that this loose, down-home feel is right for Griggs. He would prosper on an album that was loose, relaxed, and had its heart in pure country. On This I Gotta See, those brief glimpses of straight-ahead country are surrounded by songs that fit the Nashville game plan, and while those are pleasant enough, Griggs is capable of doing something better -- as he proves on moments on this solid album, which is enough to make it worth a listen. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

On his third outing, Louisiana-born Andy Griggs continues his streak of hits with a sound that's indebted to Southern rock and latter-day Outlaw Country artists like Travis Tritt. Griggs comes charging out of the gate with a hard-hitting, electric sound on the first track, the anthemic title song. Thereafter, blues-rock guitar licks and rock rhythms rub shoulders with country ballads, fiddles, and acoustic guitars. There's enough of a rock & roll production aesthetic here to suggest that Griggs has more than a few ZZ Top albums in his record collection, but the slower, more country-oriented tracks will appeal to more traditional country listeners. With a closing number that could have come off a vintage Charlie Daniels album, Griggs has got a bit of the Southern rebel in him as well, and THIS I GOTTA SEE never falls into a stylistic rut. minimize