I’ve said it before, but let me say it again: THANK GOD FOR ALAN JACKSON! The man deserves a standing ovation for just being here and being the Legend that he is. Alan Jackson has had a country music career spanning over 30 years, in which he has accumulated 14 ACM awards, 2 Grammy awards, 15 CMAs, and inductions into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry. Mr. Jackson has just released his 20th studio album, Angels and Alcohol. There was a collective sigh of relief and cry of excitement from pure country fans, who have been suffering through mainstream country radio, when it was announced that Mr. Jackson was releasing a new country album.
Angels and Alcohol is Jackson’s first country album in 3 years (he took a break and explored both bluegrass and gospel music on his last two albums). After the long wait, Alan Jackson is BACK and already has us wanting more! Angels and Alcohol is pure Alan Jackson goodness, with him writing seven out of the ten tracks himself, and features neo-traditional country sounds and content. It’s an excellent record, one many country fans have been chomping at the bit for. Angels and Alcohol is a breath of fresh air to those of us who are physically sick of the low hanging fruit featured on mainstream country radio today.
The record opens with a slow acoustic ballad that builds to a mid-tempo about family and their unconditional love. “You Can Always Come Home”, written by Jackson himself, was inspired by Jackson’s father, and finds Alan singing from the point of view of a parent telling his child that they can always come home and that they’ll never be alone. It’s a sweet song, and one of my personal favorites on the album. It’s a pure Alan Jackson track, one you expect to hear on his albums. My other favorites on the album are “Angels and Alcohol”, “Gone Before You Met Me”, “Jim and Jack and Hank”, and “When God Paints”.
The title track, “Angels and Alcohol”, is a ballad that warns of mixing alcohol with love. The song, which is a dash of sweet mixed with a melancholy feel (just the way I like my Alan Jackson songs), is one of the seven that Jackson wrote. Alan sums up the theme of the song with the opening verses, “You can’t mix angels and alcohol/ I don’t think God meant for them to get along/ When it takes control, you can’t love no one at all.” It’s an excellent pure country ballad. THIS is what country is suppose to sound like folks!
Guitars are the driving force on “Gone Before You Met Me”, a mid-tempo song about the wayward ways of a rambling man, complete with a John Kerouac and Tom Sawyer reference. The track is one of the 3 songs on this record that Jackson didn’t write, and starts off using the hook, “I was gone before you met me”, to explain to ways of a restless heart and why he never stays in one place for very long. But, ultimately, the song is about appreciating the slow and simple life you’re living. The track ends with Jackson using the hook (I was gone before you met me) in a different way, this time talking about falling in love with the right woman and settling down with her. Jackson sings, “This restless heart found a heart I could call mine/ I was smart enough to let love catch me/ so Tom and Jack just ramble on without me” and concludes that the slow and settled life is “a fine life”.
Another excellent song is “When God Paints”, a beautiful ballad. The song is tender and features a sweet and personal performance by Jackson. Another track that Jackson didn’t write himself, this will definitely be a favorite for Jackson fans. It’s the type of song you’d expect to hear on a Jackson album, and he certainly doesn’t disappoint! He sings, “When God paints/ The heart beats/ A life begins, a season ends/ And lovers meet,” in such a tender way. Jackson always shines brightest on the ballads.
The first single from the album is the fun “Jim and Jack and Hank”, an extremely catchy kiss-off song. Now, I’ve seen others liken the single to “Achy Breaky Heart” and “There’s a Tear in My Beer”, which I happen to completely disagree with! The track sounds nothing like “Achy Breaky Heart” and I find the fact that people are saying otherwise insulting. “Jim and Jack and Hank” is witty and creative, “Achy Breaky Heart”? Not so much. As for the “Tear in My Beer” similarity, again I disagree. Sonically, the two songs sound nothing alike, and as far a lyrical content, that’s also a no-go. “Tear in My Beer” is a song that finds the narrator crying in his beer over his lost love, whereas “Jim and Jack and Hank” finds the narrator actually glad she left him, heck he told her too! (FTCR featured a full single review for this track earlier, to read that click here!)
No Jackson album would be complete without a few fun, two-stepping songs, and have no fear, this record is complete! The bouncy “You Never Know” is a rocking two-stepper about never knowing where or when you’ll find true love. Alan uses the song to describe several random situations where you wouldn’t expect to be struck by true love’s arrow, but are. It’s a fun song, one that you’ll be kicking up your boots (country style, not Luke Bryan style) on the dance floor. “The One You’re Waiting On” is an easily adaptable ballad that relies on specific details to touch the listeners’ hearts. It’s a touching and effective track, with a twist at the end. “I Leave a Light On” is a slow ballad about love lost. Many are comparing this track to Trace Adkins’ “Every Light in the House is On”, which going by the lyrics, the comparison has merit. A really quirky, fun song on the record is “Flaws”. Written by Jackson himself, the song is about living with the flaws God created and loving them. It’s a really enjoyable song, that adds a little fluff between ballads.
Jackson concludes the record with the accordion and fiddle driven “Mexico, Tequila and Me”. It’s the fastest cut on this album, one about leaving life behind for a while and just escaping. Again, it’s a fun, lighter song that adds a little fluff and an upbeat quality in between ballads. Overall, Angels and Alcohol is an excellent country album, one you’d expect from the great Alan Jackson. Jackson has spent the last 30 years honing his craft and perfectling the sound he has become famous for. There’s no hint of age or slowing down in Jackson’s voice, and of course, why would there be? Jackson is in the prime of his life and continues to bring mature content mixed with fun, feel good songs. One thing you can count on in country music is Alan Jackson producing an enjoyable, well rounded, pure country album. That’s why we adore him.
Originally posted here.
