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(More customer reviews)Prime Cuts: Every Now and Then, Taillights Blue, It's Just That Way
Despite Alan Jackson's denial that there was any enigmatic motive in entitling his 14th album "Freight Train" but it is still an appropriate album title. Just as a freight train is not about speed but about going the long haul, these 12 tracks are not about chasing the latest trends, they are quality songs that are going to be etched into the memories of fans for years and years to come. Just as freight trains hearken back to the days of old-fashioned gait, these paeans belong to the best of traditional honky-tonk country sung in Jackson's most affectionate southern-drawl tenor. If you like steel guitars, soft strumming of the guitar and everything rustic--this is a feast for the ears. Jackson once again delivers 7 solidly self-written cuts, one a co-write with Roger Murrah, and 4 well-chosen covers, one of which coming from Adam Wright (Jackson's own nephew).
If there was ever any doubt if Alan Jackson is the best thing that has had ever happened to country music, just take a listen to "Every Now and Then." In the tradition of Jackson's heart-tugging signature ballads such as "If I Could Back Up" and "Gone Crazy," "Every Now and Then" brings out all the bittersweet memories of a love that has ended with so much realism that you swear Jackson has had read your own diary. Another absolute charm is the Adam Wright co-write "Taillights Blue," a devastating piece of heartache, which calls to mind Clint Black's "Nothing But the Taillights" but done at a slower pace with an even more gorgeous melody. Romance in its more blissful moments do get a mention on "It's Just That Way." Written by producer Keith Stegall, Kylie Sackley and Vicky McGehee, this slow descriptive ballad takes its time to spell out long lasting love with rich blend of pastoral metaphors: "That ole sun comes up every mornin'/And goes back down at the end of every day/It's just that way/Stars show up every evenin'/Man in the moon comes out to play/It's just that way."
Even when Alan Jackson lets go of the brakes for some rip and roar moments he again proves that he has not lost an iota of his energy. "After 17"which tells the story of a girl starting life on her own finds Jackson telling this tale with youthful zest. More moments of levity abound with "That's Where I Belong" -an Alan Jackson staple that pays tribute to his roots in the lines of previous hits such as "Where I Come From" and "Small Town Southern Man." The brisk rollicking strut of "Hard Hat and a Hammer" continues the blue-collared theme giving some grits to the album. Roger Murrah who co-penned Jackson's magnum opus "Don't Rock the Jukebox" reunites with Jackson again on the extremely catchy hit-bound "True Love is a Golden Ring."
Noteworthy of mention is Jackson throw back to the past: this time it is Jackson's cover of the Vern Gosdin's duet with Janie Fricke "Till the End." Lee Ann Womack with her traditional bend is the perfect choice as Jackson's duet-partner on this country chestnut; though their performance religiously stays too close to the original. In a time when artists evolve with the latest trends and whistles, it's good that Jackson stays committed to one single goal: to continue to make great music that is country to the core. With such a lofty goal as its destination "Freight Train" is certainly heading in the right direction.
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After 20 years of writing and recording hit after hit, country music has become synonymous with Alan Jackson.The superstar has sold over 50 million albums and has claimed nearly 100 industry awards - including three CMA Entertainer of the Year Awards.Freight Train, Jackson's 18th album was produced by longtime collaborator Keith Stegall and features 12 brand new songs, one of which is Jackson's hot new single, "It's Just That Way." Eight of the album's dozen tracks bear Jackson's songwriting credit, including one he penned with Roger Murrah, with whom he wrote one of his biggest hits, "Don't Rock the Jukebox."In a moving tribute to the legendary Vern Gosdin, who passed away last year and for whom Jackson has long expressed admiration, Jackson enlisted Lee Ann Womack to record "Till the End," Gosdin's 1977 classic duet with Janie Fricke.
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