Tag Archives: Brad Paisley

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Song of the Day #1,100: ‘You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive’ – Brad Paisley

Brad Paisley’s second album, 2001’s Part II, further entrenched the styles he touched on in his debut and would explore throughout his career, but introduced a new focus on the album as a thematic unit. A man after my own heart, Paisley is a fan of albums as works of art unto themselves, not just collections of songs.

The story behind the concept of Part II is almost too good to be true. Paisley had seen Father of the Bride with a woman who later left him. When the sequel came out, he says he went to the same theater on the same day as that previous date with the silly notion that maybe she’d be there, too, and they could rekindle their romance. She wasn’t, and they didn’t.

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Song of the Day #1,094: ‘It Never Woulda Worked Out Anyway’ – Brad Paisley

Brad Paisley’s mischievous side was apparent right from the start, with this B-side to the ‘Who Needs Pictures’ single as early evidence.

‘It Never Would Worked Out Anyway’ is the opposite of its counterpart song more than just physically. Both tunes are sung by protagonists who have fallen out of relationships, but while the singer of yesterday’s song is lost in sad nostalgia, today’s narrator has opted for petty revenge.

Paisley expertly embraces this juxtaposition on all of his albums. He places earnest love songs against both heartbreak ballads and sarcastic put-downs. In the grand country tradition, he offers up something for everyone.

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Song of the Day #1,093: ‘Who Needs Pictures’ – Brad Paisley

For my latest installment in the weekend series, I’m turning to one of the newest additions to my stable of favorite artists — Brad Paisley.

I discovered Paisley about a year and a half ago and he’s quickly become a staple in my musical rotation. He’s one of those artists who has evolved over the years as both a writer and performer, making him a great candidate for a series of posts that presents his career chronologically.

So welcome to two months of Brad Paisley Weekends! (Dana, I bet you’re longing for the Ron Sexsmith days right about now…)

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Brad Paisley – This is Country Music

Country music is the only genre I can think of that people are embarrassed to admit liking. Not all people, of course… the U.S. is full of proud country music fans unafraid to fly that flag.

But in the circles I travel in, liking country music is akin to wearing a mullet or attending a monster truck rally. It’s more than just uncool… it’s a social and political betrayal of sorts.

Recently my sister posted a Facebook status saying she is “officially in love” with Blake Shelton (whom she has discovered through his TV show, ‘The Voice’) but she prefaced that comment with “I’ve never been a big country music fan,” a disclaimer I doubt she would have provided had he been an alt-rock musician.

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Song of the Day #1,021: ‘Whiskey Lullaby’ – Brad Paisley & Alison Krauss

Brad Paisley can do so many things so well.

He’s perhaps the best songwriter around at composing straight-forward love songs (quick, name a more effective recent love song than ‘Then’ or ‘She’s Everything’). He has a great sense of humor that shines through in his albums as well as onstage. He’s a peerless guitar player who surrounds himself with excellent session players to record albums that rock and swing like crazy.

But even given all that, Paisley can still surprise from time to time, and today’s SOTD is a fine example.

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