Brad Paisley, ‘Country Nation’ [Listen]

Brad Paisley wanders around stylistically quite a bit, but he always comes back to what he does best. The country music veteran does exactly that with "Country Nation," the fourth single from his current Moonshine in the Trunk album.

Paisley has always had the ability to challenge his fans without losing the core of his appeal, and then come back around to his main themes. "Country Nation" finds him in full-on "aww, shucks" mode, sending out the message that no matter who you are or what you do for a living, we're all together in the same country boat.

"We work in the factories and the fields / Assembly lines and coal mines and the steel mills / That's what we do but there's more to us than that / If you wanna now who we are, it's on the logos of our caps," Paisley sings, setting up a chorus that uses the symbolism of those caps to reach out to a very specific slice of the country demographic — football fans.

“We’re mountaineers, we’re volunteers / We’re the tide that rolls, we’re Seminoles / We’re the herd, the long steer / We drive Ford and Chevrolet, cheer 24 and 88," the chorus goes. It's perfect timing to release this song to radio to coincide with the kickoff of football season, since the lyrics reference 18 different college teams, and Paisley is extending that outreach by embarking on a college tour on Sept. 6.

Musically, "Country Nation" is an interesting sonic amalgam of old and new, juxtaposing a modern, glossy production with pedal steel and fiddle — and of course, it wouldn't be a proper Brad Paisley song without an adept, perfectly-scripted guitar solo, though he keeps it brief here. The result is like throwing a perfect spiral straight down the middle of Paisley's fanbase, and one that both country radio and fans are sure to embrace this season.

Why Fans Will Love It: What's not to love? We've heard this kind of song before from Paisley, but that's not bad — in fact, returning to the core themes that helped him build his success is probably the smartest thing he could do right now. "Country Nation" is as familiar as a hug from your brother, and just as endearing.

Key Lyrics: "On two thousand country stations, yeah we're one big country nation, that's right."

Did You Know? Paisley has written his share of good-time party songs over the years, but he's actually a teetotaler.

Listen to Brad Paisley, "Country Nation"

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