Reviewed by:
Greg Harper, on july 16, 2009
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Sound: Only eight months after 'Play: The Guitar Album', Mr. Paisley has decided to restore the respect that his critics had for him with the commercial sound present on 'American Saturday Night'. This winning formula has yet to fail Brad Paisley and this release proves that he can take it wherever he wants. The sound of the album is splendid with perfect mixes on every track. I do feel that Brad's guitar sounds hidden at times, this is seen by some as a welcome break after getting sick of hearing him waffle all the way through 'Play'. The return to this musical direction is sure to win back any fans that were disappointed with 'Play' as well as recruiting new ones. The album is brimming with catchy tunes. 'Welcome to the Future' appears no less than three times due to the original cut being too long. For this release, it is slit into three. Some of the tracks like to clip on small speakers so the more expensive your sound system, the better! // 8
Lyrics and Singing: As with most BP tracks, you will rarely be able to spot a weak lyric. In fact, I would go as far as to say that besides his guitar playing, his lyrics are his best musical quality. For a young man, Brad has shown skills of thinking (and writing) way beyond his years without being soppy or cheesy. Once again, some funny, some serious, and some observational songs are present but real instrumental track features here. I like that way Paisley's lyrics are typically country yet so very unique. He is also very good at twisting a story around, luring you into a false sense of security with what starts to be quite a 'tongue in cheek' song. This approach can be found on this CD on tracks like 'No'. // 9
Impression: 01.American Saturday Night: a great opener. Imagine 'Let's Twist Again' countrified! 10/10
02.Everybody's Here: quite a groovy track. Great pedal steel here too. 9/10
03.Welcome to the Future: I'm not convinced by the keyboards but the lyrics are Paisley all over. 8/10
04.Then - one for the girls!: It's a beautiful song full of interesting harmony and melody and the vocals are great too. 10/10
05.Water: at first listen, this one sounds a little naff, but think back... I don't know about you but I was exactly the same. Reminds me of some very good times. 9/10
06.She's Her Own Woman: for me, here's the dud. It just does nothing for me. Great bluesy 6/8 feel but just lacks something.
07.Welcome To The Future: the second instalment is much better than the previous one. Lyrics are great here as well. 9/10
08.Anything Like Me: one of my favourites. Fantastic lyrics. Very real. Quite an emotional song that is again very authentic sounding. 10/10
09.You Do the Math: not a bad effort at all! A hoe down if I ever heard one! The chorus turns out to be slower than you want it to be though... 9/10
10.No - this is my favourite BP track of all time. The subject clearly means a lot to him. I ruin describe this one for you by telling you what it's about. I think you had to experience it like I did. Listen carefully. 11/10
11.Catch All The Fish: is in a very unfortunate place. Whatever succeeded 'No' was to draw a short straw. When played out of the context of the album running order, this faster hoe down is quite fun! The shuffle at the end is genius! 9/10
12.Oh Yeah, You're Gone: another that appears quite light-hearted at first. Cleverly written and performed. 9/10
13.The Pants: I just know that this shuffle is going to become a firm favourite among fans but it really does Brad no favours at all. It's got great lyrics, cool solo, good arrangement, EVERYTHING but there's so many better song on this album. 6/10
14.I Hope That's Me: same as above really. Brilliant lyrics and tune but compared to the majority of the album, this one feels a little undercooked. 7/10
15.Back To The Future: just the outro solo of the previous two tracks of a similar name. Very well played. Paisley has more than earned this noodle. 9/10
Overall, a mixed bag from BP. It appears that the tracks I'm not over keen on are quite popular amongst others so I'd give it a go. You can listen to the tracks here. Great musicianship and songwriting from everyone's favourite new country star... // 9
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