CD Review- Rodney Atkins- It’s America

The Background-
It's America is the new album that follows in the wake of the platinum selling CD, If You're Going Through Hell which produced four #1 singles, three #1 videos and a slew of accomplishments including ACM s New Male Vocalist of the Year. The new album features the down home message of 'Tell A Country Boy' to the raucous and playful '15 Minutes' to the fist pumping hit single, 'It's America'. Rodney Atkins music has always had the uncanny ability to relate to people s everyday lives. As Rodney puts it, 'sometimes it is the simple things in this great country that really make me appreciate it. When we share this sense of pride through music, you become friends with everybody listening. It s an honor to go out there and represent the everyday man and woman, to represent country music and what it's all about.'

The Review-
Four number one singles off his last album makes it a very tough uphill climb for this effort to match. But sure enough, however, this album is chock full of radio friendly tunes. Atkins has tabbed some of Nashville’s most celebrated writers including Doug Johnson, Dave Berg, Rivers Rutherford, Brett James, Casey Beathard, and Neal Coty. The set is a very chart-oriented selection of songs targeted heavily to the 30-something soccer mom as well as the beer-drinking, "young country" crowd- owing more to Lynyrd Skynyrd than Waylon Jennings. He’s hit all the warm and fuzzy spots including the patriotic ("It's America"), the blue-collared ("Tell a Country Boy" and "Friends with Tractors"), the family nods ("Chasin' Girls" ), the spiritual (“The River Just Knows”) and the inspirational (“It’s My Time”). Nothing is overly deep, controversial or the slight bit non-radio friendly. The title track and debut single seemingly uses Brooks & Dunn's "Only in America" as a map- "It's America" hits you with a two by four across the forehead with American ideals. It’s all about notions of teenagers selling lemonades on the streets and songs of Bruce Springsteen as icons of American life. While there’s not a deep emotionality except a patriotism of where you come from on this album, there’s sometimes nothing wrong with partying a little and wrapping yourself in a flag. And that’s where this album lies- it’s the perfect modern honkytonk-I'm-A-Country-Boy album. It’s not Jennings- it doesn’t pretend to be. It will, however, get today’s country fans off their fannies and out on the dance floor to boogie. He’s not taking big chances, just being an honest version of himself.- a passionate country American self.

Sounds Like-

Tim McGraw & Luke Bryan

Track Highlights (suggested iPod adds):

Chasin’ Girls
Friends With Tractors
15 Minutes
Simple Things
The River Just Knows

The Verdict:

Three & A Half Stars Out Of Five