Nick Parsons Project

*this review is a repost in order to consolidate. Original posting - 7/31/09*

It’s no secret that I believe country music is one of the greatest forms of music in the world. Now, you may disagree, and you’re free to, but I firmly hold to the fact that it is one of the last genuine types of music out there. So much in this world is over-produced. Pop-sensations come and go, existing only to make a fast million for some men in suits, and then fade into the history of has-beens. Hip-hop, which used to be full of real talent whether you liked the genre or not, has become trash. Absolute shit. And such a fascade! The musical aspect doesn’t even exist. Again, disagree, but I believe its a bunch of winey-ass people who think that the way to improve their situation is to act like its better than it is. So they sing about money, they sing about hookers, they sing about drugs, expensive alcohol, and all the sex they can fit into one night. But at the end of the day, while they’re sitting back in their ridiculous outfit, driving a car full of women who would leave them in a second if they had none of this crap, they need to know that the real musicians are laughing at them. They mock them. They disdain them, because they’re trying to destroy the art of music, and in doing so, they lead an entire generation into believing that music exists for the monetary betterment of those who create it.

End of soapbox.

That being said, its refreshing to encounter an album from a REAL musician. Scratch that, a real ARTIST. Musicians are a dime a dozen, and that’s not negative – just true. An artist does it all. They write, they create, they perform, they record – they’re the whole package. In my book, there’s few higher artists than Brad Paisley.

Paisley hits an important mark in this new album, American Saturday Night. His run of insanely killer records was stopped slightly short with the relase of “Play: the Guitar Album”. Now, the album wasn’t bad, but it was promoted entirely wrong – and I blame that on Arista Records. They billed the release as a regular album, that everyone would buy. However, it held little interest to anyone but musicians and Paisley fanatics. The attempt to popularize it by putting the original release of “Start a Band” on it was a poor choice. People bought the single on iTunes and ignored the rest of the album. The record was obviously a pet-project and a dream by Paisley, which is admirable – but the lack of sales seem to be the reason he jumped right back into the studio for the next one. I don’t think it was ever anticipated to be a large-scale sell, but poor promotion adds insult to injury.

Thus, American Saturday Night pulls Pailsey out of the record-company induced slump he endured in his last album. The record is thoughtful, more creative, not as rocky, but still holds its own. Its obvious that the large majority of the album was inspired by the pending birth of Paisley’s son. Songs include references to meeting his wife, hopes for his newborn, dreams for the future and how quickly time flies. Its refreshing to be able to tell where an artist is in life based on their work. This record is transparent.

A few awkward cuts call back references to Paisley’s dating career, but his superior musicianship allows the not-so-country vibes of tunes like “Everybody’s Here” to still fit in the record – albeit, the placement as the second tune in my humble opinion was horribly thought-out. Its a unnecessary slump in an otherwise brilliant run of songs.

Paisley’s signature comedic country cuts through cleanly on tracks like “Catch All the Fish,” which talks about a fishing trip with no set return time  in sight, and “The Pants”, which jokes about the male-cliche of “wearing the pants.” Although the album as a whole seems slower than previous releases, it doesn’t disappoint, introducing a fresh side of Brad that we’ve haven’t seen before.

Paisley is a class-act, and a brilliant performer, drawing on all the tools in a well-rounded musician’s arsenal. He’s a guitar virtuoso, a gear-head, a recording genius, and a producer with the best of them. His thorough understanding of today’s networking also makes him a valuable business commodity as he understands his fans in ways that many artists don’t. He twitters. He youtubes. He facebooks – well, Arista does for him, but either way, he’s present and accessible, at least in cyber-space. And that’s what you want. Combine that with one of the most exiting, audience and technology-driven shows in the country market, and you have a powerful force that will be on the country scene for a good, long time. American Saturday Night is a solid release, and possibly a hint of the creativity we will see come from Paisley in the next leg of his career.

Album grade: A-

*this review has been reposted from an earlier blog to consolidate - original posting 8/1/2009* 

I’ll admit it, I didn’t like the Zac Brown Band when I first heard them. “Chicken Fried” rubbed me wrong. The idea of writing a song about thanking our troops for the ability to eat fried chicken and wear blue jeans just seemed weak to me. After hearing it overplayed on the radio 1000 times a day though, I did start to admit it was catchy. I then saw them perform at Stagecoach 2009 and I realized why they were catchy – they were a country jam band, and that I liked. Great muscians and entertaining to boot!

Then, from their most recent album, “Whatever It Is” and “Toes” began to get airplay. These tunes I loved right off the bat. So I purchased the album. THAT is how its supposed to be. Convince me why I need your music. I’m not going to love it all, but convince me to give you a chance and I’ll spend my $12 on you.  The rest of the album is surprising good. A hidden gem is the song “Jolene,” of Ray LaMontagne fame – already a killer tune the way Ray did it, yet the ZBB does a convincing cover, partly due to the insanely smooth voice of Zac Brown.

Let them grow on you. If you haven’t given the Zac Brown Band the time of day, check out the tunes. Pandora them. Slacker them. However you listen to music, put some time in – they’re worth it.