With their sixth studio album Unstoppable arriving tomorrow, I thought I'd have a lengthy stroll down memory lane --back to their 2006 smash
Me and My Gang which officially certified me as fan of Rascal Flatts. I'd never been a country fan until then --along the way I discovered Keith Urban, Zac Brown, Sugarland and of course Taylor Swift. Since their eponymous debut back at the start of the millennium, they've managed to keep consistency through their records, gradually emerging from almost kid-like Pop meets Country to Mainstream adult contemporary - Country. 2000s Rascal Flatts was a very fun and edifying pursuit, mostly backed with catchy merry country jingles, the southern flavored ("Prayin' For Daylight") was my favorite. 2002s sophomore effort,
Melt and 2004s
Feels Like Today (which spawned their 7th top 40 single "Fast Cars And Freedom") used the same formula but sounded more grown-up. This swiftly catches up to
Me and My Gang which racks up as their best offering in their discography, pursing the discrete line between Fun and modern country cut and top 40, mainstream pop.
The album opens strongly with the mid-paced "Stand" which sets an abreast tone for the rest of the album, the songs a typical drum and strings affair, but still packs a powerful punch with its uplifting directive. The song joined in a string (2 others) of singles to top the Billboard Country singles chart. "What Hurts The Most" has the strongest pop presence. I first heard as single from ex-S Club 7 member, Jo O'Meara --wasn't really feeling it then. I then later heard it as a rave-styled dance anthem by German dance group Cascada, for their album Everytime We Touch, they scored their first UK top 10 with it. So it was a bittersweet moment when I heard Rascal Flatts had covered it as I was use to the song backed with a thundering, synthesized dance beat. Although I prefer Cascada's version to this, I do admire the mellow, archetypal aura of country balladry.
"Backwards" is the only song on the album that lives up to the conventionalized assumption of country music --consisting of the emblematic fast paced nature, banjo, strings and drums, yet it still appeals to me like any contemporary pop song would, which solidifies my love for country chamber. The song embeds a talk box guitar, burrowed from Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer" on the bridge, before it rounds off the chorus with the lyric: "That's what you get when you play a country song backwards". "I Feel Bad" indulges in rich country balladry --pacing with drums, strings and melodic piano chords --satisfying my adulation dramatic metrical composition. "My Wish" follows up well, using the same formula but indulging in a more dulcet anatomy, accompanied by an astonishing vocal performance.
Whilst "I Feel Bad" and "My Wish" are better ballads on the album "Pieces" is among my favorites --a nice, mellow mid-paced groove consisting of the typical instruments --nothing too compelling concerning the chorus, but its a decent ballad. "Yes I Do" is a lighthearted number, which blends a cheery country vibe, a strong spritely feel and a faint Carribean sensation. "To Make Her Love Me" is a charming consolidation between angelic verses and an impressive production in the chorus, notably with the pulsating drums pacing throughout --backed with strings, piano and an admirable melody. "Words I Couldn't Say" follows up well, using the same blueprint as its predecessor --Before the banjo kicks in, I could see Christina Aguilera covering this back in her pop days, the verses on her rendition of Celine Dion's "There Are The Special Times" throw a robust reminiscent to "Words" --very melodic, heartfelt and vocally focused.
After a string of mellow cuts, the album picks up the tempo on its title track "Me and My Gang" (which sounds a tad similar to "Bob That Head" from the follow up album Still Feels Good) This was a guilty pleasure for awhile --It's a very dauntless cut (which offers a complete one-eighty to the message on "Words") throbbing with hi-hats, drums, strings and an electronic guitar --definitely one of the notable highlights. Written by Don Joe, "Cool Thing" is a very dainty cut, yet the least rememberable, It's backed well with a nice piano and a very beautiful melody. The more dark and disheartening moments from the album come from "Ellsworth" which is about a woman losing her minds-eye and daydreaming about her dead husband --The song consists of a very lyrically compelling chorus. "He Ain't The Leavin' Kind" is the only song on the album that took awhile to catch on, as it has no noticeable melody, I use to think the verses were a tad bland and the chorus very monotonous, until I payed close attention to the lyrical factor --which talks about an ambitious character, which I later found out was God, which makes complete sense. The lyrics: "Even from those who don't believe, and wanna leave Him behind, he ain't the leavin' kind" in the chorus should've been an obvious bearing to who they were talking about --"Leaving Kind" gradually turned out to be my among my favorites on here.
Me and My Gang is sure packed with higlights --but its biggest is its remake of Tom Cochrane's 1991 hit "Life Is A Highway" --the song became the bands second biggest hit on the album ("What Hurts The Most" hit #6), peaking at #7 in the U.S. giving the group the second top 10 hit. Despite the fact that it's just a brilliant song, containing all the right ingrediants for the perfect country song, I also love "Life Is A Highway" because it's the song I discovered Rascal Flatts with, it stems back when I saw the Disney film, Cars 3 years ago --I heard the song in the lengthy scene when the famous racing car Lighting McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) was departed from his life in California to Route 66, Radiator Springs, which led to an elongated stage of research which led me to discover Me and My Gang and Rascal Flatts. The song wasn't originally included on the original tracklisting, but was later included on an special bonus-track version. It's not often I prefer a remake to the original but "Highway" is definitely something else, consisting of strings, drums, hi-hats, a very distinctive electronic guitar and a recurring tambourine --the perfect blueprint for a knockout country record. Although they've had plenty of memorable hits, prior to this but I think "Highway" is definitely their signature song.
Since my first listen through Me and My Gang back in 2007, I've listened through the album countless times --It's probably among the best country albums I've ever heard-- a very captivating, yet simple collection of country and contemporary of pop songs. Their follow up album
Still Feels Good was definitely a couple steps short of the brilliance of Me and My Gang, It had a decent amount of highlights (notably "Take Me There", "How Strong Are You Now" and "Secret Smile") but lacked its "Life Is A Highway" or "What Hurts The Most" --which was a tad unfortunate as those were the key cuts that made Me and My Gang what is was (and is). So what does Unstoppable have in store? from what I've heard so far, country fans, Rascal Flatts fans and general music fans, are in for a treat. The three cuts released from the album ("Here Comes Goodbye", "Love Who You Love" and "Things That Matter") have been brilliant teasers. I really can't wait!
Best Tracks: Life Is A Highway, What Hurts The Most, He Ain't The Leavin' Kind, Me and My Gang, I Feel Bad, Pieces, My Wish, Yes I Do, Words I Couldn't Say, Cool Thing
Labels: album review, Rascal Flatts
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