TRENT TOMLINSON

Singer/songwriter Trent Tomlinson is one of those rare performers whose music is as straight-ahead and unpretentious as he is. "My songs," he says simply, "are real-life situations with kick-ass guitar." "It's 'open a beer, sit in a lawn chair, let's have a party' country," he says of his music. "At the same time, the songs say, 'I have the ability to love you, to understand' and at the end of the day, all that matters is Mama and Daddy and going to heaven. That pretty much sums everything up." After 12 years honing his craft and paying his dues -- Trent's debut album, titled Country Is My Rock, is edgy country that isn't afraid to rock and resonates with authentic grit, raucous energy and unrestrained intensity. Country Is My Rock brings Trent's emotional honesty and eye for detail to vignettes detailing both the good and bad of life and love. "Just Might Have Her Radio On" and "I Was Gonna Leave Tomorrow Anyway" deal with the aftermath of relationships while "The Bottle" looks at the dark side of life. "Hey Batter Batter," is a clever take on barroom rancor and "Drunker Than Me," is an offbeat and hilarious look at being forced to be the responsible one on a night out. The CD's combination of truth, pathos and humor gives it both accessibility and real depth, and its hard-charging musical approach makes it all compelling. The majority of the Missouri native's songs are autobiographical. "Once I found myself and admitted the truth about who and what I am, my demons and insecurities and began putting them into song," says Trent, "my whole world changed as a songwriter, as an artist, as everything. The truth will set you free." The music began connecting for the reason great music always does--people identified with it, including Lyric Street Records who bought into it whole-heartedly. "Luckily," Trent says, "my vision was their vision." So much so that Trent was involved in every aspect of song selection and production on his debut album. "Songs," he says, "are one of those places where you can hear someone talking about their problems and you say, 'I'm not alone.' Hopefully, the reception Country Is My Rock is getting means that other people are getting something out of it too."