This is Alan Jackson's latest album including the very popular "Laid Back 'n Low Key (Cay)".

Track Listing

1. Good Time
2. Small Town Southern Man
3. I Wish I Could Back Up
4. Country Boy
5. Right Where I Want You
6. 1976
7. When The Love Factor's High
8. Long Long Way
9. Sissy's Song
10. I Still Like Bologna
11. Never Loved Before - Jackson, Alan & Martina McBride
12. Nothing Left To Do
13. Listen To Your Senses
14. This Time
15. Laid Back 'n' Low Key (Cay)
16. If You Wanna Make Me Happy
17. If Jesus Walked The World Today

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2989 in Music
• Released on: 2008-03-10
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

CD Description
Fifteenth album, and follow-up to 2006's 'Like Red On A Rose', from one of America's most popular country artists, a staunchly traditionalist 'Small Town Southern Man' (in the words of his new US single) who has consistently made hits and sold records since his career began nearly twenty years ago.Jackson appeals primarily to the old guard who rail againstthe increasing pop influence on country music, and this newalbum will do nothing to alienate his core fanbase.

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Customer Reviews

A Natural Progression, Or A Cowardly Back Step? 3 Stars.
On this his 15th album, we find Alan Jackson in prime territory: straight forward, traditionally soaked country music. This 3 Time CMA Entertainer of the Year, Grammy Award Winning, 4 Time ACM male vocalist of the Year defined a sound in the 90's and early Naughties, and has remained true to his fans the entire way from his first album. `Good Time' is the follow up to the critically acclaimed `Like Red on A Rose', and sees the re-instalment of long time producer Keith Stegall.

With its fiddle-laden, bass/drum lead beat, the album oozes country mentality. 17 tracks long, the material was fully written by Jackson himself; and cover a range of subjects from praising small town lifestyle and values in the albums lead `Small Town Southern Man', cashing your pay check on a Friday at the honky-tonk in the title track, and regretting your path in `I Wish I Could Back Up'. Although the tracks will appeal to core fans, `Good Time' is unlikely to draw in any new fans. Country Jackson is, and yes, he hits the point of every song with straight talking lyrics. But, something Jackson isn't, is a great lyricist. After 17 songs of fairly familiar melodies, and extremely simple lyrics, a funny sense of dissatisfaction is left on the tongue: the listener hasn't really left with something they didn't have at the get-go. And this is exactly where `Good Time' falls short: it hasn't enough age-defying tracks - only 2 or so tracks here could be considered as history making in Jackson's career.

As the set is 17 tracks long, I'm only going to address the key highlights - both good and bad. The tracks that aren't mentioned are ultimately the fillers: they lack persona or a breaking melody - and are essentially forgettable come the end of the album.

`Small Town Southern Man' is endearing. Cliché galore, the track will appeal to every single small town resident, and every single traditional country fan. I personally am fond of the track, but I'm not going to stop myself from critiquing. The song is melodically very bland, and the production doesn't set off anything new in Jackson's artistry. I remember when this track reached the top of the country charts; it was rivalling Carrie Underwood's `All-American Girl', which tackled a similar theme to this song's. The difference being however, that Underwood's song broke ground both lyrically and melodically. Perhaps this comparison made Jackson's song pale for me personally even more so.

`I Wish I Could Back Up' is arguably the best song on the album. Perfectly arranged with a pleasant feature of steel, the song is mournful without being pitiful. A fine, fine track. Possibly the best set of lyrics on the album, the song tackles transience and heartbreak. A poignant moment early on.

`Country Boy' was the album's 3rd single, and originally, I would have cast this song aside as a cliché filled nonsense. But, after 10 plus listens of this album, it is a serious grower. The arrangement is solid, possibly the best on album. The melody, although not groundbreaking, is very catchy, and quite different to anything else on the album.

`Right Where I Want You' is a piano melody, and that fact really shines against the other songs on this album. A stirring love song, it is sincere and from a good place, and a real highlight. The arrangement here is extremely professional - think Garth Brooks crossed with George Strait: it's somewhere between the two.

`Long Long Way' is a frustrating track. The song itself is extremely good. It's fantastic in fact. But, for the first time, I actually think that Jackson has written a song that his artistry can't do justice to. The arrangement isn't as riveting as it should be for such a fabulous melody. A song like this would have been perfection for Alison Krauss to produce, or even perform. I can't fault Jackson for writing such a great number, but his artistry doesn't add up.

`Sissy's Song' is a poignant moment on the record. A touching song about a deceased friend of the Jackson Family, the lyrics are stirring and really hit the listener between the eyes. The emotion feels nigh on restrained, possibly to prevent the affair becoming a blown up hyperbole. This song is real, and that's what makes it so heartbreaking. A killer hook, with a fantastic, picked melody, the track is a highlight if the album.

`I Still Like Bologna' is in similar vein to `Country Boy' in theme. But, in both practice and delivery, it is frighteningly inferior. In fact, its pathetic cliché are near infuriating. How can this actually appeal to anybody with more than a few brain cells? It isn't proclaiming the `redneck' life in any fashion, if anything it is ironically damning the life it is praising: being a couch potato, and an ignorant and arrogant screw up who depends on a woman to get him through day to day. Please.

`Never Loved Before' with the impeccable Martina McBride is another positive highlight on the album. Although contemporary country duets tend to be a blown up, emotional affair, this track defies cliché - instead opting for something off the beaten track that is more interesting, and original. A fantastic honky-tonk melody, the production is country through and through - laden with fiddles, harmonica, banjo and acoustic bass. The vocals Jackson delivers are his best on the album, and McBride's vocals are of course on top form. The duo is a stellar pairing - whoever's idea this was, I crown you a genius. Cheeky, flirty, sincere - but all in a fashion that is totally believable, and a far cry from immature. Fabulous.

`If Jesus Walked The World Today' rounds the set out. Unfortunately however, it is vein with `I Still Like Bologna'. I say in vein, as it is the most infuriating track Jackson has ever recorded. The melody is truly aggravating, the hook provoking white knuckles. And that isn't even the most fist inflicting fact of the song. Its lyrics are so ignorant, and so ridiculous, that any humour Jackson tried to achieve with it is completely lost. Praising the redneck life again, Jackson proclaims that if Jesus walked the world in these days, he would be a hillbilly. He would have tattoos, he would drink, live in a caravan, drive a Chevrolet. Ridiculously using Jesus' condemnation as a metaphor for the prejudice hillbillies and rednecks receive, the song is, hands down, Jackson's worst material to date.

All in all, I just can't understand, nor accept, what Jackson has achieved here. `Like Red On a Rose' was a distinct piece of art, and screamed artistic progression. But here, we find him divulging back into his typical nonchalant, straight forward country delivery. There's nothing original about many of the tracks, and there's nothing new in Jackson's delivery. To consider everything, I'd class this album as a cowardly back step: Jackson scared of alienating some fans in the name of good music. Instead, he's sticking with mediocrity to satisfy about half a million. Disappointing really.

3 Stars.

Just Like It Says On The Label
This is an album that has no pretensions. It's honky tonkin' good time music, just like it says on the label, delivered in the trademark Jackson style - relaxed over easy. Every track is a Jackson original and the album is so easy to enjoy, even with a running time of over 70 minutes, you'll wonder where the time went!

After the austere reverence of "Precious Memories" and the late night listening of "Like Red On A Rose" this is Alan Jackson back to straight ahead, straight down the middle, modern country music. There is a mix of seventeen rollicking honky tonk tunes and tender ballads including a foot tapping duet with Martina McBride.

That Jackson is a traditionalist there is no doubt but his art is to make the music accessible without descending into the saccharine country pap style that infests much of today's country music.

This is classic country music for the 21st century.

ABSOLUTELY GREAT
Have just got a copy of this album having spent the last two weeks driving around south western US and hearing Small Town Southern Man every time we tuned the radio to a country station. I hadn't realised that Alan Jackson still sounded like this....such wonderfully uncomplicated music and so solid across the whole selection. Ditto to all the other reviews here....I'd be worried if I thought there were peole out there who don't like this album!