5th Gear (CD)

Brad Paisley continues to build on his past successes. Rather than allow himself to be overexposed in the media from one release to the next (like most artists), the singer/songwriter/guitarist wisely lets the music do the talking. The West Virginia native's fifth studio release, the aptly titled 5th Gear, picks up where his last multi-platinum disc, Time Well Wasted, left off.

Humor has been a part of every Paisley album, and that hasn't changed with 5th Gear. The disc's first single "Ticks," a fuel-injected cut with squawking electric guitars, is a clever little ditty. A guy promises his date that if she lets him take her out in the moonlit country to park, the only thing he'll let crawl all over her is himself. Paisley punctuates the humorous lyrics with his expert guitar work.

Paisley squeezes licks from his Fender Telecaster, slicing and dicing his way through the fiddle and steel scored "Online," another tummy tickler. The singer pokes fun at people who live a fake life on the Internet. "I'm so much cooler online," he sings. The hysterics continue on "I'm Still A Guy." Every man who hears this track will crack up, while his girl just nods her head in agreement with the song's sentiment. No matter how much you try to sissify your man, ladies, he's still going to act like a dude from time to time.

"All I Wanted Was A Car" cranks like the motor in a 1969 Boss 302. Paisley shifts his voice into a smooth falsetto as a guy recounting his teenage dream of owning a car. While his friends and classmates had goals and hopes of changing the world, this cat just wanted some wheels. "Better Than This" pops and struts like Toby Keith on the red carpet at an awards show. A simple bass line and a straight four-four drum beat anchor Paisley's honky tonk riffs.

Few artists can sell funny like Paisley, and few can do sad like him either. "With You, Without You" aches with the severity of a busted knuckle. Plaintive steel guitar and stinging fiddle add a sorrowful coat of lacquer to Paisley's somber vocals. The other side of love, the cheerful side, is uncovered for the slow burning "It Did." Producers Frank Rogers and Chris Dubois tame Paisley's wild guitar playing (save for a smoking solo) on this standout ballad that will probably end up being a single.

Five albums in, and Paisley continues to reinvent himself while staying rooted in the old-school country sound that brought him to the big show.

By Todd Sterling