Mud on the Tires
When Brad Paisley sings, as he does on the lead single "Celebrity," "No matter what you do, people think you're cool just 'cuz you're on TV," he ratifies his status as a formidable voice in modern yet accessible and traditional country music. "That's Love" and "Is It Raining at Your House" offer romance freed of hazy metaphor or greeting-card slogans. There's a miniature morality play, "The Cigar Song," and the obligatory closing gospel chestnut ("Farther Along"). The guest shots--by contemporary starsAlison KraussandVince Gill, and veteransBill Anderson,George Jones, andLittle Jimmy Dickens--are pleasant but hardly necessary, since Paisley's good musical sense abounds. He also revives a long-vanished tradition: the featured sideman. AsChet Atkinsonce played for the Carter Sisters andDon Richpicked behindBuck Owens, Paisley spotlights the amazing guitarist,Merle HaggardalumnusRedd Volkaert, letting him loose on "Spaghetti Western Swing." Paisley himself flies free on the extended country-jazz jam in the middle of "Make a Mistake with Me." With wit, heart, and unyielding devotion to the earthy, Paisley follows his 2001 gem,Part II, with an even more compelling album thatshouldset a new standard.--Rich Kienzle