Brad Paisley wanted to make an album honoring country music.

His first hit, "This is Country Music" paid homage to the likes of George Jones, TammyWynette, John Denver and Johnny Cash.  Then he teamed up with Alabama for his second hit "Old Alabama."  And that's not his only duet on the new album. Carrie Underwood joins him for a soulful song on how the flame can go out in a relationship over time, called "Remind Me."   Couples who have been together a long time will relate to this song well.  On the other end of the spectrum, Brad and Don Henley sing about advice given to a newly married groom on his wedding night called "Love Her Like She's Leaving."  It's a beautiful song I imagine will be played at several weddings.  Blake Shelton is also featured on a song about Mexico called "Don't Drink the Water."  Who drinks water when they go to Mexico?  With Brad and Blake you get what you expect.  A happy, amusing song.

Since Brad has the country part covered on this album, his boys ask the question "Hey, what about western."  A true cowboy, Clint Eastwood, answers "You want western, this is western."  Then Clint begins to whistle like you hear in all classic western movies.  The entire song called "Eastwood," is just Brad doing what he does best on his guitar and Clint whistling away.  It's very country AND western. Check it out.

Proving he can not only sing and play the guitar, Brad shows how he can pick a clever song someone else wrote, with "Toothbrush."  He goes from a first date to being married with kids, all around a toothbrush.  The song begins with "love starts with a toothbrush, a Bic razor and a Dixie cup.  A little aftershave before you leave for that first date."  And it ends with the son getting out of the bath to brush his teeth with the toothbrush in the Dixie cup.  So creative and with the addition of the fiddle and steel guitar, it's definitely traditional country.   And it's only one of two songs on the album not c0-written by Brad.

"Be the Lake" is another cute song about wanting to be so close to a beautiful woman in a bikini, the man wants to be the lake she's swimming in.  "Working on a Tan" may sound like a Kenny Chesney song but rather than giving it a Caribbean feel, Brad rocks it out.  He shows his comedic side with "Camouflage," a song about a kid who repaints his car.  And who else would you get to sing the song with other than Larry The Cable Guy

One of my favorite songs on the album is called "One of Those Lives."  It's about having a bad day and then realizing there are children at St Jude Children's Hospital who are fighting to live.  We just have "one of those days" but they've had "one of those lives."  Makes you sit back and think.  Getting caught in traffic, arguing with co-workers or being late isn't that big of deal in the whole scheme of things.

If you're a true country fan and enjoy a little fiddle and steel guitar thrown in from time to time, you'll love this album.  Brad seems to be like a fine wine.  He just keeps getting better with age.

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