It took a decade for Rodney Atkins' career to ignite, but current album "If You're Going Through Hell" shows the singer/songwriter making up for lost time. So far, the disc has spawned four consecutive No. 1s: the title track, "Watching You," "These Are My People" and "Cleaning This Gun." Atkins now switches gears with a thoughtful ballad about a man who appears to be handling a failed relationship well, when he's actually crumbling beneath his stoic façade. As he sings, "I will never show the toll it's taken, cause I'm invisibly shaken," Atkins skillfully conveys the pain and pride that are all this guy has left. Here's a wholly engaging vocalist, as demonstrated on his upbeat hits, but this fine single shows Atkins is as compelling on a maudlin ballad. That bell you hear is the ring of a probable fifth consecutive chart-topper. —Deborah Evans Price