Travis Collins - Brave & the Broken (2021) Hi-Res

Recorded in Nashville with session musicians whose credits include Taylor Swift and Alan Jackson, Travis Collins’ sixth album shows the Aussie singer as comfortable traversing anthemic, arena country-rock (“Road Warriors”) as he is polished ballads (“Days With You”). Among familiar themes of heartbreak (the reflective “High Horse”) and good times (the grinding, bluesy strut of “Church of Rock N Roll”), Collins celebrates human spirit, with special praise reserved for volunteers (“Who We Are”) and those who go the extra mile to help others. “They’re teaching after hours so no kid gets left behind,” he sings in the heartfelt “Unsung.”