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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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Wes Hightower, Background Vocal - Chris DuBois, Composer, Lyricist - Kenny Lewis, Bass - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Brad Paisley, Composer, Lyricist, Electric Guitar, Co-Producer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kendal Marcy, Banjo, Executive Producer - Brent Anderson, Composer, Lyricist - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Justin Williamson, Fiddle - Gary Hooker, Electric Guitar
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Wes Hightower, Background Vocal - Chris DuBois, Composer, Lyricist - Kenny Lewis, Bass - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Brad Paisley, Composer, Lyricist, Electric Guitar, Co-Producer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kendal Marcy, Keyboards, Executive Producer - Brent Anderson, Composer, Lyricist - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Justin Williamson, Fiddle - Mike Ryan, Composer, Lyricist - Smith Ahnquist, Composer, Lyricist
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Wes Hightower, Background Vocal - Chris DuBois, Composer, Lyricist - Kenny Lewis, Bass - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Brad Paisley, Composer, Lyricist, Electric Guitar, Co-Producer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kendal Marcy, Executive Producer, Synthesizer - Brent Anderson, Composer, Lyricist - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Justin Williamson, Fiddle
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Wes Hightower, Background Vocal - Chris DuBois, Composer, Lyricist - Kenny Lewis, Bass - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Gordon Mote, Piano - Brad Paisley, Composer, Lyricist, Co-Producer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kendal Marcy, Executive Producer, Synthesizer - Brent Anderson, Composer, Lyricist, Acoustic Guitar - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Justin Williamson, Fiddle - Hannah Dasher, Composer, Lyricist, Background Vocal
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Kenny Lewis, Bass - MICK JAGGER, Composer, Lyricist, FeaturedArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Brad Paisley, Composer, Lyricist, Electric Guitar, Co-Producer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kendal Marcy, Executive Producer - Matt Clifford, Composer, Lyricist, Keyboards - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Justin Williamson, Fiddle - Brad Paisley feat. Mick Jagger, AssociatedPerformer - Audrey Geiger, Background Vocal - Baylor Wilson, Background Vocal
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Kelley Lovelace, Composer, Lyricist - Kenny Lewis, Bass - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Brad Paisley, Composer, Lyricist, Electric Guitar, Co-Producer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Lee Thomas Miller, Composer, Lyricist - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kendal Marcy, Organ, Executive Producer - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Justin Williamson, Fiddle
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Kenny Lewis, Bass - John Fogerty, Composer, Lyricist, Electric Guitar, FeaturedArtist, AssociatedPerformer - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Brad Paisley, Composer, Lyricist, Electric Guitar, Co-Producer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kendal Marcy, Piano, Executive Producer - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Justin Williamson, Fiddle - Brad Paisley feat. John Fogerty, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Wes Hightower, Background Vocal - Chris DuBois, Composer, Lyricist - Ashley Gorley, Composer, Lyricist - Michael Rhodes, Bass - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Gordon Mote, Keyboards - Brad Paisley, Composer, Lyricist, Electric Guitar, Co-Producer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kendal Marcy, Executive Producer - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Justin Williamson, Fiddle
(P) 2016 Sony Music Entertainment
Jim Beavers, Composer, Lyricist - Wes Hightower, Background Vocal - Chris DuBois, Composer, Lyricist - Kenny Lewis, Bass - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Brad Paisley, Composer, Lyricist, Acoustic Guitar, Co-Producer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kendal Marcy, Executive Producer - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Justin Williamson, Fiddle
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Kenny Lewis, Bass - Timbaland, Co-Producer, FeaturedArtist, AssociatedPerformer - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Brad Paisley, Composer, Lyricist, Acoustic Guitar, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Lee Thomas Miller, Composer, Lyricist - Timothy Mosley, Composer, Lyricist - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kendal Marcy, Executive Producer - Jared Gutstadt, Composer, Lyricist - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Justin Williamson, Fiddle - Brad Paisley feat. Timbaland, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
John R. Cash, Composer, Lyricist - Johnny Cash, Speaker - Kenny Lewis, Bass - John Carter Cash, Co-Producer - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Brad Paisley, Composer, Lyricist, Electric Guitar, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kendal Marcy, Keyboards, Executive Producer - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Justin Williamson, Fiddle - Jessi Alexander Stewart, Background Vocal
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Bill Anderson, Composer, Lyricist, FeaturedArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Wes Hightower, Background Vocal - Kenny Lewis, Bass - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Brad Paisley, Composer, Lyricist, Electric Guitar, Co-Producer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kendal Marcy, Piano, Executive Producer - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Justin Williamson, Fiddle - Audrey Geiger, Background Vocal - Brad Paisley feat. Bill Anderson, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Wes Hightower, Background Vocal - Kenny Lewis, Bass - Timbaland, Co-Producer, Programmer, FeaturedArtist, AssociatedPerformer - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Brad Paisley, Composer, Lyricist, Electric Guitar, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Timothy Mosley, Composer, Lyricist - Ben Sesar, Drums - Daniel Jones, Keyboards - Kendal Marcy, Banjo, Executive Producer - Jared Gutstadt, Composer, Lyricist - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Justin Williamson, Fiddle - Brad Paisley feat. Timbaland, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Robert Arthur, Composer, Lyricist - Kenny Lewis, Composer, Lyricist, Bass - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Angela Primm, Background Vocal - Gordon Mote, Piano - Brad Paisley, Composer, Lyricist, Electric Guitar, Co-Producer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Ben Sesar, Drums - Gale Mayes, Background Vocal - Kendal Marcy, Executive Producer - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Justin Williamson, Fiddle
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Wes Hightower, Background Vocal - Kelley Lovelace, Composer, Lyricist - Kenny Lewis, Bass - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Brad Paisley, Composer, Lyricist, Electric Guitar, Co-Producer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Lee Thomas Miller, Composer, Lyricist - Ben Sesar, Drums - Kendal Marcy, Keyboards, Executive Producer - Randle Currie, Steel Guitar - Justin Williamson, Fiddle
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
Wes Hightower, Background Vocal - Chris DuBois, Composer, Lyricist - LUKE WOOTEN, Co-Producer - Brad Paisley, Composer, Lyricist, Electric Guitar, Co-Producer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Kendal Marcy, Executive Producer - Brent Anderson, 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: 00:58:41
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: Brad Paisley
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Arista Nashville
- Genre: Blues/Country/Folk Country
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment
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