5th Gear

Performer: Brad Paisley
Artist: Carrie Underwood; Whisperin' Bill Anderson; Little Jimmy Dickens; Vince Gill
Engineer: Richard Barrow; Brian David Willis
Producer: Frank Rogers
Distributor: n/a

Notes: Audio Mixer: Justin Niebank. Highlighted by the smash first single, "Ticks," a goofy-sexy ode to nudity al fresco, Brad Paisley's FIFTH GEAR maintains his string of albums neatly balanced between light pop-oriented material and more traditional country. The latter is best exemplified by the twangy guitar instrumental "Throttleneck," the reverent "When We All Get To Heaven," and the tuneful "Bigger Fish To Fry," featuring guest vocals by Vince Gill, Bill Anderson, and Little Jimmy Dickens. Elsewhere, a lovely ballad duet with Carrie Underwood, "Oh Love," keeps an eye to Nashville's present as well as its past. As on most of Paisley's albums, the main lyrical topic, even more than the usual love songs, is what it means to be a man in contemporary America: "I'm Still A Guy" is perhaps the most obvious song on the topic, but the country rocker "Mr. Policeman," the wry character study "Online" (a song about Internet personas at odds with reality), and the surprisingly philosophical opener "All I Wanted Was A Car" flirt with the concept as well.

Rolling Stone (p.72) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Smart, low-profile Nashvillean Paisley's sixth album features not one but two songs about how adulthood beats adolescence." Entertainment Weekly (p.71) - "[T]he guy's a vivid nostalgist, and his duet with Carrie Underwood is a harmonic delight." -- Grade: B+

West Virginia country singer/songwriter Brad Paisley gained renown almost immediately with his 1999 debut album, WHO NEEDS PICTURES. He was distinguished from many of his peers by his expert guitar technique (his second and third albums included Western swing-influenced instrumentals that earned him Grammy nominations) and a sly sense of humor deeply embedded in his songwriting. Paisley's profile was raised even higher when he wed actress Kimberly Williams, but his was already a career that required little boosting.

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