Time Well Wasted

Time Well Wasted reunites Brad with producer Frank Rogers for a 16-track collection sporting 10 selections from Paisley’s pen, including first single, "Alcohol," the fastest-rising chart single of his career. Look for multiple guest stars, including Dolly Parton (featured on "When I Get Where I’m Going") and Paisley labelmate Alan Jackson, who duets on the Guy Clark/Darrell Scott gem, "Out in the Parkin’ Lot."

Brad Paisley's previous release, Mud on the Tires, was the sort of landmark album nearly every artist has difficulty topping. Not so this time. On Time Well Wasted, Paisley's voice--never overwhelmed by overmixed instruments (a problem dogging many current vocalists)--remains keenly focused. There's quality material in abundance, heavy on originals and delightfully quirky bonus tracks. The album's first hit, Paisley's self-penned "Alcohol," has the potential to become a lasting anthem in a genre where booze songs long ago became an art form. Guy Clark's "Out in the Parkin' Lot," a duet with Alan Jackson, sounds more organic, less contrived than most Music Row pairings. The same applies to "When I Get Where I'm Going," a spiritual duet with Dolly Parton. As in the past, Paisley's country-jazz Telecaster prowess (phemonenal on the dazzling instrumental "Time Warp") remains remarkable, as does his insistence that his sidemen get ample space to shine. Such assets set Paisley apart, as does his ability to make real creativity commercially successful in a Nashville concerned mainly with the latter. --Rich Kienzle

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