Jason Aldean (Featuring Luke Bryan and Eric Church), ‘The Only Way I Know’

Jason Aldean's new single 'The Only Way I Know' weaves from the same spool as his biggest hits. Themes of hard work, loyalty and small town values have been at the core of hits like 'Fly Over States,' 'Tattoos on This Town,' and most recently, 'Take a Little Ride,' even if you need to look beyond the cutie in the passenger seat to find them. On the new single from 'Night Train,' Aldean's message is more direct. but no less effective.

The collaboration with Luke Bryan and Eric Church is a bonus. One could argue that this cut would be just as good -- and maybe better -- if Aldean sang all the parts himself. The two rising stars do a great job, and their chemistry is genuine, but their participation distracts one from a bare knuckles, shovel-in-the-dirt message.

"That’s the only way I know / Don’t stop till everything’s gone / Straight ahead never turn round / Don’t back up, don’t back down / Full throttle wide open / You get tired, you don’t show it / Dig a little deeper when you think you can’t dig no more / That’s the only way I know," Aldean sings during the chorus.

The song begins with the spoken word style that some like to call rap. It's not rap, but it doesn't matter: "Well I grew up in one of them old farm towns / Where they hit it hard till the sun goes down / Nobody really seemed to care that we were living in the middle of nowhere / We just figured that’s how it was / And everyone else was just like us."

The slick production is almost missed when one focuses too much on Bryan's second verse and Church's bridge. A groovy little guitar solo introduces the lyric. Turn up the volume and stand between two speakers to hear how guitars slide from left to right. 'The Only Way I Know' sounds best at neighbor-irritating volumes. Let the windows rattle around on this one, and fully embrace the song's 'yes I can' spirit.

Listen to Jason Aldean feat. Eric Church and Luke Bryan, 'The Only Way I Know'