Wheelhouse

**A definite contender for the coveted album of the year award at the next CMA Awards, Brad Paisley presents his most controversial recording to date in the form of _Wheelhouse_. Addressing topics such as racism (in a collaboration with LL Cool J), domestic violence and Christian fundamentalism, _Wheelhouse_ certainly strays from the tongue-in-cheek humour that many country fans have come to expect from their leading man. Paisley’s ability to deal with such subjects is, however, one of the things that makes this album what it is.**

It should still be noted that Paisley remains a country boy, and he also takes time to deal with the traditional topics of unrequited love and death, which we have come to expect to be present on any country album. The album’s third track, ‘Beat This Summer’, is a catchy seasonal anthem that will remain in the heads of those lucky enough to hear it for the entirety of the summer months, whilst on ‘Harvey Bodine’, Paisley humorously deals with the sensitive issue of death. The song tells the story of a man – voiced by _Monty Python_’s **Eric Idle** – who has a heart attack and is brought back to life through the use of a defibrillator five minutes later. This, however, is to the man’s horror as, in those five minutes, he was thankful to have finally escaped his nagging wife.

Paisley’s impeccable guitar playing is matched only by his ability to tell a story and, in true country style, in ‘The Mona Lisa’, the story is told of a man who looks at the achievements that others have had and how others get the opportunity to shape the world. And yet, the man considers himself to be luckier than all of those people, because he has found the right girl and feels like “the frame that gets to hold the Mona Lisa”.

On an album that is all killer and no filler, Paisley is able to transform an understanding of traditional country music to one that may see the addition of various production techniques and controversial topics into country music. While many of the discussions about this record will revolve around the controversial tracks of ‘Karate’, ‘Accidental Racist’ and ‘Those Crazy Christians’, it is quite possible that in years to come, _Wheelhouse_ may be considered one of the most revolutionary country albums of all time as a result of the introduction of many new techniques and digressions into mainstream country music by one of its biggest stars. As Paisley himself said recently on _The Ellen DeGeneres Show_, “I think it’s music’s turn to have the conversation”.

**Similar To:** Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, The Band Perry

**MP3:** ‘Beat This Summer’, ‘Officially Alive’