Brad Paisley - 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 stars Alison Krauss and Vince Gill, and veterans Bill Anderson, George Jones, and Little Jimmy Dickens--are pleasant but hardly necessary, since Paisley's good musical sense abounds. He also revives a long-vanished tradition: the featured sideman. As Chet Atkins once played for the Carter Sisters and Don Rich picked behind Buck Owens, Paisley spotlights his amazing guitarist, Merle Haggard alumnus Redd Volkaert. He rips loose on "Spaghetti Western Swing" and 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 that should set a new standard. --Rich Kienzle

Track Listing

1     Mud on the Tires

2     Celebrity

3     Ain't Nothin' Like

4     Little Moments

5     That's Love

6     Somebody Knows You Now

7     Famous People

8     Hold Me in Your Arms (And Let Me Fall)

9     Whiskey Lullaby

10   The Best Thing That I Had Goin'

11   The Cigar Song

12   Make a Mistake

13   Make a Mistake with Me

14   Is It Raining at Your House

15   Spaghetti Western Swing

16   Farther Along

17   Kung Pao Buckaroo Holiday