Trace Adkins’ sophomore effort offers a more diverse, if slightly less consistent, set of material than his debut. “Big Time,” “See Jane Run” and “Lonely Won’t Leave Me Alone” show Trace’s taste for roadhouse country — the kind of music he honed playing the Nashville honky-tonk circuit in the early ‘90s. “Snowball In el Paso” and “Nothin’ But Taillights” are easygoing without sacrificing any of Adkins’ down-home twang. At this stage in his career, Adkins was a natural ballad singer. His rich, supple voice easily lends itself to “Out of My Dreams,” a breakup song that is sung like an expression of pure love. Even better is “The Rest of Mine,” one of two Adkins originals on Big Time. The song is a lightly swinging dedication of love, delivered with total sincerity but tempered with just the right amount cowboy rakishness. The album closes with one of the most essential songs of Adkins’ career: an evocative and understated rendition of the ancient standard “Wayfaring Stranger,” illuminated by a gentle bluegrass arrangement.