Just to set the note: awesome album. One of the most diverse if not the most diverse album of the year for sure. You have everything, from slow songs, to summer upbeat songs, to instrumental songs, to songs about sensitive topics. Very very high quality album. This is definitely an album that not everyone is going to like though, because it has a pretty good deal of experimentation.
At 21 songs in the full deluxe album, this isn't a short album. Is that a bad thing? Not at all, at least according to me. I think Brad Paisley had the intention of making this a pivot album, since even though some songs are more conservative (Beat This Summer), some songs are definitely a step forward. He doesn't mind going on current topics, or sensitive topics. As a whole, excellent song-writing. It's not as poetic as some other song-writers, but this is still very high quality, and almost every single song had attention put into them.
Brad wants to push his core fans in another direction with this album, and it feels like he's successful doing it. At least to me. Like said previously, not everybody is going to like it. On the other hand, I think it's a fine album that deserves to be listened to. There are really a couple of great songs in there, and unless all you like is Florida Georgia Line kind of music, you'll be well served with this. The expectations for the next album are set pretty high.
8.5/10
Bon Voyage
I won't issue a score on that one, since it's an introductory song. Still, nice touch from Brad.
Southern Comfort Zone
This is a great song to me. I really like how Brad explains that you can still love your hometown even if you go out and explore the world. He describes the southern life with other things than trucks and parties also, which is in my mind, great. It's caricaturist, but true and creative.
9.5/10
Beat This Summer
This song is a true summer song, and doesn't even try to hide it. It's entertaining, and the guitar is fabulous. That being said, it can become repetitive.
9/10
Outstanding In Our Field (feat. Dierks Bentley, Hunter Hayes and Roger Miller)
2 risings star featured in this song. The song is radio-ready, and the lyrics are quite good. The music that goes with it sometimes feels weird, but the guitar is again, great.
8/10
Pressing On a Bruise (feat. Mat Kearney)
The story describing the guy who hurts himself by recalling the memories of the love is great, it's well written. I have no genuine idea what the other singer is doing in there though, it pretty much adds nothing to the song, to the contrary. Again, great music, but it's a tad repetitive.
7/10
I Can't Change the World
The guitar in this one is really awesome. The lyrics are also great, depicting the dedication but also admission of lack of control over life, it really has emotion to it.
9.5/10
幽 女
This is an instrumental song, all about Brad and his guitar having fun. Very impressive though. It really adds diversity to the album. By the way, the Chinese title is said to mean "quiet female".
7.5/10
Karate (feat. Charlie Daniels)
The song is really catchy, it never went on the radio for some reason, but the lyrics are quite funny, about the woman suffering from conjugal violence, but then goes on to take Karate, and kicks the ass of her abusive husband/boyfriend. It transforms a really heavy and emotional subject into a song that is quite funny.
8.5/10
Death of a Married Man (feat. Eric Idle)
To me, it feels like Bon Voyage, just representing a new rhythm in the rest of the album.
Harvey Bodine
Again, Brad transforms the story of a dying man in a funny story, about the man who never enjoyed peace in his life, who will find it in death. The music becomes repetitive though.
7/10
Tin Can On a String
This is a breakup song, the typical thing. The song is well-written, but the music is nothing original. I felt that to have a really "complete" album, he needed to have at least a slow breakup song, and this is the one.
5/10
Death of a Single Man
The song is quite interesting from the story it's telling, about the man who dies because he's getting married. It's old country though, with strangely electric guitar. Oh and the third quarter of the song is a guitar solo for some reason.
6/10
The Mona Lisa
Eh boy, Brad Paisley trying to be Keith Urban with pop-rock. Surprising, but not that bad. It adds diversity to the album again. The song is well-written as a whole, but becomes repetitive at some points.
6.5/10
Accidental Racist (feat. LL Cool J)
This is perhaps the only time you'll hear me say that I find rap acceptable in a song. The song from a lyrics point of view is great. I know it has had a few critics about the white man trying to talk about racism, but Brad feels the need to say that even though the South has been quite harsh in the past, people are changing, so people should try to forgive. Very heavy song emotionally, at least in my mind. I find the song brilliant.
9/10
Runaway Train
Another breakup song, but not the type you would expect. This is a very upbeat song, and the guitar is fabulous in this one. It doesn't have the ear-worm factor to it though, but still very entertaining.
8/10
Those Crazy Christians
This is an interesting song. It's sarcastic the whole time, Brad making a critic of the rise of atheism and the rising (to him undeserved) disdain of Christianism. He also makes decent critics of religion also. As a whole, it's another demonstration that Brad feels confident enough to go head-to-head with difficult topics. Nothing to see here musically-wise though, but the piano and guitar are decent.
6.5/10
Officially Alive
This song is an interesting take on the whole "live your life" topic, with great music to go with it.
7/10
Yankee Doodle Dixie
This is a resume of the album basically, demonstrated instrumentally. Nice touch from Brad.
Facebook Friends
This is an interesting story about a woman falling in love via Facebook with her crush when she was young, and the whole relationship that goes with this. It's a slow song, the emphasis is really on the song-writing.
6.5/10
Get Even
This is an upbeat song that's pretty empty lyrics-wise. It's a nice addition to the album as a bonus track, the guitar is pretty great in this one also.
7/10
Southern Comfort Zone (Acoustic version)
This is the guitar-only version of Southern Comfort Zone. As a whole, both versions are great, but to focus more on the lyrics, this one is superior. Some pretty good singing here also by Brad.
8/10
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