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." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine