All I Want

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Thom JurekTim McGraw's early albums always suffered from uneven material, but All I Want is a surprisingly consistent record that consolidates his strengths while allowing him to expand into new territory. He didn't abandoned the honky tonk and jokey country-rock that made him famous, but he made it rock harder and hired songwriters who would help him make it more believable -- just check the track "Renegade" for an example. Similarly, his ballads, such as "I Didn't Ask and She Didn't Say," and "Can't Be Really Gone," are heartfelt; they're delivered with convincing sincerity. In other words, he has grown musically and developed into a thoroughly entertaining vocalist. And that growth is what makes All I Want the best of his early records. It is still somewhat uneven, with several weaker songs, but McGraw learned on his first couple of efforts how to disguise the flaws in the material with his singing and lessen them considerably from here on in.