Hal Ketchum struggled with MS in much of the six-year period between I'm the Troubadour and its predecessor, but with the battle still ongoing he won a major artistic victory. Troubadour fairly glows with a feeling of spiritual strength. Ketchum always had a touch of the folk singer to him, and he takes I'm the Troubadour's title literally, embracing his folkie balladeer side. But the album finds Ketchum opening up to all the branches of the Americana tree—"Chickadee" taps into a gently jazzy vibe, "Sweet Loreen" smolders with a bluesy feel, and the title track is a roiling roots-rocker that runs on a Bo Diddley beat.