Tim McGraw did not get where he is by confronting or confounding his audience. So if you think the country-pop kingpin and son of baseball legend Tug McGraw is gonna throw a changeup pitch for album no. 9, clearly you have not been paying attention.

On Let It Go, the 39-year-old singer continues preaching to the choir, striking his usual aw-shucks urban cowboy pose on songs about hard-working everymen on the night shift, hard-drinking residents of Dumpville and hard-bitten sons of abusive stepfathers.

As a result, the warmly produced 13-tracker is a fairly moody affair, dominated by tender-hearted downhome ballads (like I'm Working and Kristofferson), broken up with some twangier upbeat fare (like the first single Last Dollar and McGraw's own Train #10), a little rough 'n' tumble southern-fried rock (like the Skynyrdy Between the River and Me) and the occasional cut that's not even remotely country (like the soulful Suspicions).

McGraw's missus Faith Hill even lends her golden pipes to the jangly ballad I Need You and the bluesy country waltz Shotgun Rider just to seal the deal.

She needn't have bothered. McGraw has long been one of the most dependable -- if predictable -- artists in country.

And he isn't about to let that go for anything.

Track Listing:

1. Last Dollar (Fly Away)
2. I'm Workin'
3. Let It Go
4. Whiskey and You
5. Suspicions
6. Kristofferson
7. Put Your Lovin' On Me
8. Nothin' To Die For
9. Between The River And Me
10. Train #10
11. I Need You
12. Comin' Home
13. Shotgun Rider