I probably never would have considered including a ‘Country Plus’ category in my musical genome before I discovered Brad Paisley.
The other artists I’m including in that group would still have shown up, but I would have lumped them under ‘singer-songwriters’ or shoehorned them into ‘folk.’ I never would have considered embracing the ‘country’ label.
Brad Paisley, who had his own weekend series, has decided to make an appearance on Random Weekends.
Today’s song is from Paisley’s fifth album, 2008’s 5th Gear, and it is not a favorite of mine. That album, in general, represents something of a slump for Paisley, falling between his four best records — Mud On the Tracks and Time Well Wasted on the one side and American Saturday Night and This is Country Music on the other.
Top Ten Songs of 2011 – #2
Brad Paisley’s This is Country Music is a typical Brad Paisley album. That means it features his patented blend of wry humor and heart-on-sleeve sentimentality, set to the sounds of a peerless backing band, led by Paisley’s own lead guitar heroics.
After discovering Paisley through his previous (and still career best) album, American Saturday Night, I snapped up everything in his discography and discovered that he’s one of the most consistent artists working today. You know what you’re gonna get from Brad Paisley, and it’s exactly what you want.
Here endeth the Brad Paisley Weekends. I could play the man’s music non-stop but I’ll give him a rest for now and let somebody else have a shot.
I still haven’t decided who’s next but I’ll try to make sure it pisses somebody off. 🙂
As I write this, I’m in the middle of a game of concert chicken with StubHub in the hopes of seeing Brad Paisley live today. Paisley is playing my city, with Blake Shelton opening, but he’s chosen a venue I hate and the prices are way too steep.
I’m not big on concerts. They’re expensive and uncomfortable and often less enjoyable than the same music heard on record. I don’t want to hear drawn-out jams, I don’t want to wait until 8:45 for a show that was supposed to start at 8. But at the same time, a good concert can be a transcendent communal experience if you’re willing to put up with all that other stuff.
Meet Me In Montauk 