Country music star Travis Tritt has thrilled country music fans for more than 30 years, but his upcoming show at Embassy Theatre will give the audience a chance to go deeper with the man and his music.

The 7:30 p.m. show Wednesday, Feb. 23, is part of his “An Evening with Travis Tritt” solo acoustic concert tour, which he launched in January ahead of his “Set in Stone” tour with a full band beginning in March. The tours promote his Set in Stone album, which he released in May,­ his first studio album since 2007’s The Storm.

Tritt hasn’t been doing media interviews in recent weeks, but his tour publicist provided access to an interview he pre-recorded to help promote the tour.

Different Sound

In the interview, Tritt said he enjoys his solo acoustic performances because they give him the opportunity to take a different approach.

“The thing that I really love about the acoustic performances is it gives me the opportunity to not only share the music that I’ve done over the years, but it also gives me an opportunity to do some of the songs and do some of the music that influenced me when I was just a kid growing up,” he said.

Those influences range from country artists Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, and Charlie Daniels as well as The Eagles and other rock, blues, bluegrass, and gospel bands.

“I get an opportunity to kind of bring portions of all of those different things out in those solo acoustic performances,” he said. “And also, it gives me an opportunity to sort of tell some stories about those influences and about how I got involved in the music, where the music really comes from.”

Tritt also credits Elvis Presley as a huge influence on his views about music and performing, noting Presley could perform any style of music and do it well.

“He didn’t really care about what envelope it was put in or what particular category it was in,” Tritt said. “He just did music that was really good and felt good to him. And that’s what I’ve always tried to do, too.”

High-level of Success

It’s an approach that’s has worked for Tritt, who won two Grammy Awards for song collaborations with other country artists. He’s also a four-time Country Music Association Award winner and a Grand Ole Opry member. He’s had 46 songs land on Billboard magazine’s Hot Country Songs chart since he broke onto the scene in 1989 and launched his string of hits with the 1990 album Country Club.

His success on the Hot Country Songs chart includes 20 top-10 hits and five No. 1 songs, including fan favorites “Help Me Hold On,” “T-R-O-U-B-L-E,” and “Best of Intentions.”

Taking Break from Studio

He said he stopped cranking out studio albums 14 years ago after reaching two conclusions: He’s not good at multitasking, including the frequent shifting from performing to songwriting to recording. And most people attending his concerts come to hear him sing his many hits.

“So I decided, look, I’m just going to focus, laser focus, on performing and laser focus on doing the concerts and doing the best job at that that I possibly can do, without the other distractions of having to worry about writing songs or working on new albums,” he said.

He also was embroiled in a lawsuit to gain control of his music from Category 5 Records, which released The Storm just before the record label closed. The case took several years, but Tritt won.

Strong Opinions

More recently, he’s sparked controversy.

In 2016, he criticized the Country Music Association for having pop music star Beyoncé perform with the Dixie Chicks at that year’s CMA Awards show. Tritt argued country music can stand on its own and doesn’t need pop stars performing on awards shows.

This past fall, Tritt announced he was canceling four concerts, including one in Muncie, because venues were requiring concertgoers to wear masks or show proof of COVID vaccination or a negative COVID test result. He said COVID prevention measures are discrimination.

Eyeing Future Projects

Right now, though, he’s focused on his music.

The 11 songs on Set in Stone take listeners back to what Tritt describes on his website as “a no-frills, classic, outlaw-country sound.”

He co-wrote eight of the tunes, including the rollicking opener “Stand Your Ground.” Other tracks include love songs like “Leave This World,” country rock like “Ghost Town Nation,” and a look back at his traditional country music roots such as “Smoke in a Bar.”

Reviewers gave the album good marks and described it as a worthy addition to his lengthy discography. It may not be the last entry on that list. Tritt enjoyed getting back in the studio to record, and he has a few special projects he’s always wanted to do.

“If I had an opportunity, I would still love to be able to cut a really, really good bluegrass album,” he said. “I would love to do an album of some of my favorite songs from some of my favorite artists. I’ve even got a title for that one, Their Songs, My Way. … I’d love to have the opportunity at some point maybe to do a gospel album.”

So for Tritt, the future isn’t quite set in stone.