Trace Adkins [ tickets ] follows up 2005's "Songs About Me," which produced the smash-hit "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk," in convincing fashion with this collection of mostly likable New Country tunes.

Adkins has had a very nice career. Yet, superstardom--the kind enjoyed by the likes of Keith Urban and Toby Keith--has avoided him. This could be the record that, finally, changes that.

The country crooner shows far more range, both vocally and stylistically, on this album than ever before. And he comes up with aces more times than not.

The album starts out strong with the rocking title track, a Bocephus-style boogie-woogie number, and then delivers some true twang--something he hasn't really done in the past--on the John Anderson-esque "Ladies Love Country Boys." "I Came Here to Live" is a classic country power ballad, which will certainly appeal to fans of Tim McGraw's moving "Don't Take the Girl."

Not everything in the collection works. There are a few lowlights--including the overwrought "I Wanna Feel Something," which comes across like watered-down Kenny Chesney, and the uber-American "Fightin' Words," which sounds like pumped-up Toby Keith.

Still, Adkins definitely delivers enough strong moments to make "Dangerous Man" one of the better New Country discs of the season.