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Reuniting with Luke Wooten, the co-producer of Moonshine in the Trunk, Brad Paisley essentially supercharges that 2014 album for 2017's Love and War. Paisley hauls out all his old tricks, singing about the love of country and family, heartbreak, and middle-aged melancholy, then adds a heavy dose of superstar power, contracting Timbaland for two cuts, bringing in both Mick Jagger and John Fogerty for duets, then tipping his hat to classic country by inviting Bill Anderson to sing "Dying to See Her." Johnny Cash makes an appearance, too, with Paisley adapting the late singer's poem "Gold All Over the Ground" into a song, a subtle moment in an album largely lacking in them. While there is some appeal in this bright blast of sound, especially when he's in party mode -- "One Beer Can" in particular recounts the aftermath of a raucous adolescent bash -- it can also seem vaguely desperate, as if he's still clutching a reality that's faded into the past. Sometimes, Paisley acknowledges his advancing years: "Last Time for Everything" admits everything must come to an end, while the novelty "selfie#theinternetisforever" -- a sweeter version of his earlier "Online" -- accidentally reveals a curmudgeonly streak within the singer/songwriter. Strikingly, his invited elder statesman sound looser than he does, with Fogerty tearing into the title track and Jagger savoring all the punch lines on "Drive of Shame." Inadvertently, these two songs highlight the main problem with Love and War, which is Paisley's focus on having hits. While he never pushes too hard -- even the Timbaland tracks don't call attention to the beats -- the shiny production, shopworn jokes, and eager melodies have the cumulative effect of seeming too ready to please any audience that comes his way. Since Paisley still has his skills, this is often enjoyable -- he knows how to craft songs and can play a mean guitar -- but it's hard not to hear Love and War and think Paisley would be a little bit better off if he learned a lesson from Jagger and Fogerty: sometimes, it's better not to try so hard.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
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Brad Paisley, Associated Performer, Composer, Co-Producer, Electric Guitar, Lyricist, Main Artist - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Kendal Marcy, Banjo, Executive Producer - Justin Williamson, Fiddle - Ben Sesar, Drums - Gary Hooker, Electric Guitar - Kenny Lewis, Bass - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Wes Hightower - Brent Anderson, Composer, Lyricist - Chris DuBois, Composer, Lyricist
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Brad Paisley, Associated Performer, Composer, Co-Producer, Electric Guitar, Lyricist, Main Artist - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Kendal Marcy, Executive Producer, Keyboards - Justin Williamson, Fiddle - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kenny Lewis, Bass - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Wes Hightower - Smith Ahnquist, Composer, Lyricist - Brent Anderson, Composer, Lyricist - Chris DuBois, Composer, Lyricist - Mike Ryan, Composer, Lyricist
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Brad Paisley, Associated Performer, Composer, Co-Producer, Electric Guitar, Lyricist, Main Artist - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Kendal Marcy, Executive Producer, Synthesizer - Justin Williamson, Fiddle - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kenny Lewis, Bass - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Wes Hightower - Brent Anderson, Composer, Lyricist - Chris DuBois, Composer, Lyricist
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Brad Paisley, Associated Performer, Composer, Co-Producer, Lyricist, Main Artist - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Kendal Marcy, Executive Producer, Synthesizer - Justin Williamson, Fiddle - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kenny Lewis, Bass - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Gordon J. Mote, Piano - Wes Hightower - Brent Anderson, Acoustic Guitar, Composer, Lyricist - Hannah Dasher, Composer, Lyricist - Chris DuBois, Composer, Lyricist
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Brad Paisley, Associated Performer, Composer, Co-Producer, Electric Guitar, Lyricist, Main Artist - Mick Jagger, Associated Performer, Composer, Featured Artist, Lyricist - Brad Paisley feat. Mick Jagger, Associated Performer - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Kendal Marcy, Executive Producer - Justin Williamson, Fiddle - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kenny Lewis, Bass - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Audrey Geiger - Baylor Wilson - Matt Clifford, Composer, Keyboards, Lyricist
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Brad Paisley, Associated Performer, Composer, Co-Producer, Electric Guitar, Lyricist, Main Artist - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Kendal Marcy, Executive Producer, Organ - Justin Williamson, Fiddle - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kenny Lewis, Bass - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Kelley Lovelace, Composer, Lyricist - Lee Thomas Miller, Composer, Lyricist
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Brad Paisley, Associated Performer, Composer, Co-Producer, Electric Guitar, Lyricist, Main Artist - John Fogerty, Associated Performer, Composer, Electric Guitar, Featured Artist, Lyricist - Brad Paisley feat. John Fogerty, Associated Performer - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Kendal Marcy, Executive Producer, Piano - Justin Williamson, Fiddle - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kenny Lewis, Bass - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Brad Paisley, Associated Performer, Composer, Co-Producer, Electric Guitar, Lyricist, Main Artist - Chris DuBois, Composer, Lyricist - Kendal Marcy, Executive Producer - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Ashley Gorley, Composer, Lyricist - Justin Williamson, Fiddle - Ben Sesar, Drums - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Gordon J. Mote, Keyboards - Michael Rhodes, Bass - Wes Hightower
(P) 2016 Sony Music Entertainment
Brad Paisley, Acoustic Guitar, Associated Performer, Composer, Co-Producer, Lyricist, Main Artist - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Kendal Marcy, Executive Producer - Justin Williamson, Fiddle - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kenny Lewis, Bass - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Wes Hightower - Jim Beavers, Composer, Lyricist - Chris DuBois, Composer, Lyricist
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Brad Paisley, Acoustic Guitar, Associated Performer, Composer, Lyricist, Main Artist - Timbaland, Associated Performer, Co-Producer, Featured Artist - Brad Paisley feat. Timbaland, Associated Performer - Justin Williamson, Fiddle - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kenny Lewis, Bass - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Kendal Marcy, Executive Producer - Jared Gutstadt, Composer, Lyricist - Lee Thomas Miller, Composer, Lyricist - Timothy Mosley, Composer, Lyricist
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Brad Paisley, Associated Performer, Composer, Electric Guitar, Lyricist, Main Artist - Justin Williamson, Fiddle - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kenny Lewis, Bass - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Kendal Marcy, Executive Producer, Keyboards - Johnny Cash, Speaker - Jessi Alexander Stewart - John Carter Cash, Co-Producer - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - John R. Cash, Composer, Lyricist
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Brad Paisley, Associated Performer, Composer, Co-Producer, Electric Guitar, Lyricist, Main Artist - Bill Anderson, Associated Performer, Composer, Featured Artist, Lyricist - Brad Paisley feat. Bill Anderson, Associated Performer - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Kendal Marcy, Executive Producer, Piano - Justin Williamson, Fiddle - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kenny Lewis, Bass - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Wes Hightower - Audrey Geiger
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Brad Paisley, Associated Performer, Composer, Electric Guitar, Lyricist, Main Artist - Timbaland, Associated Performer, Co-Producer, Featured Artist, Programmer - Brad Paisley feat. Timbaland, Associated Performer - Kendal Marcy, Banjo, Executive Producer - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Justin Williamson, Fiddle - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kenny Lewis, Bass - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Wes Hightower - Daniel Jones, Keyboards - Jared Gutstadt, Composer, Lyricist - Timothy Mosley, Composer, Lyricist
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Brad Paisley, Associated Performer, Composer, Co-Producer, Electric Guitar, Lyricist, Main Artist - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Kendal Marcy, Executive Producer - Justin Williamson, Fiddle - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kenny Lewis, Bass, Composer, Lyricist - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Gordon J. Mote, Piano - Angela Primm - Gale Mayes - Robert Arthur, Composer, Lyricist
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Brad Paisley, Associated Performer, Composer, Co-Producer, Electric Guitar, Lyricist, Main Artist - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Kendal Marcy, Executive Producer, Keyboards - Justin Williamson, Fiddle - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kenny Lewis, Bass - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Wes Hightower - Kelley Lovelace, Composer, Lyricist - Lee Thomas Miller, Composer, Lyricist
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Brad Paisley, Associated Performer, Composer, Co-Producer, Electric Guitar, Lyricist, Main Artist - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Kendal Marcy, Executive Producer - Wes Hightower - Brent Anderson, Composer, Lyricist - Chris DuBois, Composer, Lyricist
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Album review
Reuniting with Luke Wooten, the co-producer of Moonshine in the Trunk, Brad Paisley essentially supercharges that 2014 album for 2017's Love and War. Paisley hauls out all his old tricks, singing about the love of country and family, heartbreak, and middle-aged melancholy, then adds a heavy dose of superstar power, contracting Timbaland for two cuts, bringing in both Mick Jagger and John Fogerty for duets, then tipping his hat to classic country by inviting Bill Anderson to sing "Dying to See Her." Johnny Cash makes an appearance, too, with Paisley adapting the late singer's poem "Gold All Over the Ground" into a song, a subtle moment in an album largely lacking in them. While there is some appeal in this bright blast of sound, especially when he's in party mode -- "One Beer Can" in particular recounts the aftermath of a raucous adolescent bash -- it can also seem vaguely desperate, as if he's still clutching a reality that's faded into the past. Sometimes, Paisley acknowledges his advancing years: "Last Time for Everything" admits everything must come to an end, while the novelty "selfie#theinternetisforever" -- a sweeter version of his earlier "Online" -- accidentally reveals a curmudgeonly streak within the singer/songwriter. Strikingly, his invited elder statesman sound looser than he does, with Fogerty tearing into the title track and Jagger savoring all the punch lines on "Drive of Shame." Inadvertently, these two songs highlight the main problem with Love and War, which is Paisley's focus on having hits. While he never pushes too hard -- even the Timbaland tracks don't call attention to the beats -- the shiny production, shopworn jokes, and eager melodies have the cumulative effect of seeming too ready to please any audience that comes his way. Since Paisley still has his skills, this is often enjoyable -- he knows how to craft songs and can play a mean guitar -- but it's hard not to hear Love and War and think Paisley would be a little bit better off if he learned a lesson from Jagger and Fogerty: sometimes, it's better not to try so hard.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 16 track(s)
- Total length: 00:58:48
- Main artists: Brad Paisley
- Composer: Brad Paisley
- Label: Arista Nashville
- Genre: Country
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
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