| Wheelhouse | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 9, 2013 | |||
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| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 63:16 | |||
| Label | Arista Nashville | |||
| Producer | Brad Paisley (all tracks) Mike Dean (track 4) Marten Aston (track 6) | |||
| Brad Paisley chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Wheelhouse | ||||
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Wheelhouse is the tenth studio album by American country music artist Brad Paisley. The album was released on April 9, 2013 by Arista Nashville, with Paisley being the only producer on the album instead of Frank Rogers.
The album was recorded at Paisley's home in Franklin, Tennessee, which in order to do this he "converted the yellow farmhouse on his property to a studio, which allowed him to work on the album at all hours of the day and night." [1]
With respect to subject matter, The New York Times Jon Caramanica noted how Paisley "tackles a host of country pieties out in the open, as if sensing the moment might finally be right to hear country songs about difference." [2] Daryl Addison of GAC found that this album was an "adventurous undertaking". [3] At the Los Angeles Times , Randy Lewis affirmed that Paisley "taking on such hot-button topics as spousal abuse, Southern provincialism, racism and social justice alongside characteristically well-crafted mainstream country fare." [4] To this, Jerry Shirver of USA Today exclaimed "bravo to Brad Paisley for being among the wave of mainstream country artists who keep prodding the genre into the here and now, lyrically and musically." [5] So, Caramanica found that "by being studiously strait-laced, though, Mr. Paisley is exactly the type of person who might slip in unnoticed and effect change." [2] However, AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine alluded to how the album "suffers when the cross-cultural ambition is too great." [6] Spin magazine's Jason Gubbels writes this is because Paisley "forgot his moral insights have always functioned best as ambiguities, not set pieces." [7]
Bernard Perusse of The Gazette said the album features "catchy melodies, plainspoken lyrics and one man's attempt to transplant contemporary country from its red-state ghetto into the hearts of everyone." [8] Taste of Country's Billy Dukes told that "'Wheelhouse' delivers a familiar mix of humor, life lessons and scorching guitar solos, but it does it in a way different from any of the other eight albums the...singer has released," which he evoked how Paisley "took his old formula, balled it up, lit it on fire and tossed the ashes in the garbage". [9] In addition, Lewis of the Los Angeles Times found that the music is packaged up "in an arena-ready singalong," that Paisley "tacitly inviting listeners to sample his perspective." [4] At The Boston Globe , Scott McLennan praised the writing on this album as being "sharp". [10] Addison of GAC found that with Paisley "producing and writing/co-writing every song himself, Brad delivers 14 full songs that are incredibly thoughtful, well crafted and willing to take risks without losing what fans love most – his personality and clever songwriting." [3]
On the topic of musical styling, McLennan of The Boston Globe told that "Paisley cooks through honky-tonk, country swing, the blues, rockabilly, and weepy ballads with assured command, topping off each song with at least one memorable line". [10] Lastly, Bob Paxman of Country Weekly surmised that "with clever splices of sonic experimentation and songs that run from fanciful to downright serious, Wheelhouse seems to stand as Brad's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ", which it is not "quite that monumental, to be clear", but does give the listener a "declarative statement that Brad is branching out in a more divergent path than ever before." [11] At The New York Times, Caramanica alluded to how "Mr. Paisley isn’t pushing musical boundaries, but that’s by design: the messages would matter less if they were coming from someone other than a country insider." [2]
With respect to the album duration, Roughstock's Matt Bjorke felt the work was rather long in terms of duration it "just [seemed] too ambitious for an artist not exactly known for being all that ambitious" musically, yet he hoped "that Brad maintains some of the juju found on this record -- the explorations of other genres w/o abandoning Country Music's bedrock instruments -- and reigns himself in a little bit on his next album." [12] In agreement, Taste of Country's Dukes said that "seventeen tracks are too many, even if a few are little more than interludes", yet Paisley "earns an extra half star for some daring production," which "a lack of momentum holds back a project that’s full of good ideas spaced apart." [9]
In terms of guitar playing, Gary Graff of The Oakland Press praised Paisley for his instrument playing acumen, when he said "there's nothing at all funny about Paisley’s guitar chops, which are still sharp throughout these 17 tracks." [13] Also, McLennan commented that the guitar work is "impeccable." [10] Paxman of Country Weekly vowed that "the musicianship on Wheelhouse is incredible and Brad just keeps on getting more flavorful as a guitarist". [11] At Premier Guitar Jason Shadrick evoked how Paisley "continues to take chances and push modern country away from the auto-tuned sing-alongs with a simple twist of his B-bender," which he even "throws in just enough EL84-powered twang and Stones-inspired double stops to keep the guitar nerd’s eyes from glazing over". [14] In addition, Chuck Eddy of Rolling Stone noted that "as always, plenty of tasty guitar" from Paisley is featured on the album. [15] Lastly, GAC's Addison proclaimed Paisley a "virtuoso guitar lick." [3] However, Robert Christgau of MSN Music was not so praiseworthy about Paisley on guitar, when he wrote that "a lot of the time he's trying too hard to say too little or trying too clumsily to say too much, sometimes even with his trusty guitar." [16]
The songs on the album touches on various aspects such as xenophobia with "Southern Comfort Zone", domestic violence with "Karate", racism with "Accidental Racist" and religion with "Those Crazy Christians". [2] [5] "Southern Comfort Zone" has been described as a "cousins of sorts to his multi-cultural paean 'American Saturday Night'", [6] and the song "preaches the value of travel while masking it in a wistfulness for the familiarity of home." [2] "Beat This Summer" has been described as "the perfect summer anthem". [17] The song "Outstanding in Our Field" has been called a "party anthem". [4] "Pressing on a Bruise" is a ballad that has some rap on it by Mat Kearney. [9] The song "I Can't Change the World" is a "poignant ballad" that contains "fingerpicked acoustic guitar with wavering pedal steel start off the track before he enters on vocals", but even though this is a "smartly written love song" Paisley "doesn’t quite have the pathos to deliver." [2] [17]
The song "'Onryo' offers up fun around the horn solos, but the focus here is on the songwriting." [3] "Karate" has been referenced as being like "Martina McBride's 'Independence Day,' the Dixie Chicks' 'Goodbye Earl,' and Miranda Lambert's 'Gunpowder & Lead,'" which because "Mr. Paisley may be the first male singer to approach the subject with such a honed sense of justice" in mind that he "pulls off with grace." [2] [6] The song "Harvey Bodine" is "about a henpecked man who dies, finds himself at more peace in death than in life and then, after he’s been resuscitated, decides to leave his wife", which the death lasted just "five minutes". [2] [9] "Tin Can on a String" has been portrayed as "a ballad of lost love", which "Paisley sings of being stood up at the altar. His emotion is grandly showcased on this track and you can't help but feel for the character in the song." [4] [17] The song "Death of a Single Man" has been noted that it "reads like a funeral, but it describes a wedding", which it is "the perfect single man's anthem." [2] [17] "The Mona Lisa" has been described as "a love song" that was "inspired by a trip to Paris with his wife, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley, the fast paced track impresses with gritty guitar." [6] [17]
The song "Accidental Racist" featuring LL Cool J is "a don’t-judge-a-book-by-its-cover polemic", which to some "this has about as much sociological insight as a fortune cookie." [11] In addition, this song has been derided as "far less successful than 'Over and Over,' the 2004 collaboration between Tim McGraw and Nelly, and a far less reconciliatory one too." [2] On the other hand, it was seen as a song that is an "honest discussion about race". [3] "Runaway Train" is a "fast-paced" song that "lets loose for some of the project’s most impressive axe-slinging and the cowboy instrumental". [3] [17] The song "Those Crazy Christians" is where Paisley "admires faith while harboring doubts of his own, never taking potshots at those who believe", and it "deftly tweaks and salutes the faithful among whom Paisley grew up." [6] Yet, some see it as approaching "massive Christian stereotypes from the eyes of a nonbeliever." [17] "Officially Alive" has been called "anthemic" that is "part autobiographical". [17]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Billboard | 85/100 [17] |
| Country Weekly | B+ [11] |
| The Independent | [18] |
| Los Angeles Times |  [4] |
| MSN Music (Expert Witness) | B+ [16] |
| Premier Guitar | [14] |
| Rolling Stone | [15] |
| Spin | 8/10 [7] |
| USA Today | [5] |
Wheelhouse has received mostly positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, a website that assigns a weighted average score out of 100 from reviews by mainstream critics, it currently holds a Metascore of 76, based on 10 reviews. [19] At the Los Angeles Times, Lewis affirmed that "Brad Paisley ratchets up his Bard-like savvy on 'Wheelhouse,'" but it is done with "Paisley's master stroke is to mine empathy — not frustration — from that experience, still embracing his core values while quietly extending others the same courtesy." [4] At The Oakland Press, Graff wrote that with respect to this album, it is just "as good a time as anything he’s recorded" in the past. [13] Shriver of the USA Today exclaimed that "a genuine honesty and sincerity shine through" in his music on this album. [5] At The Gazette, Perusse found that "Wheelhouse does live up to its name". [8] Taste of Country's Dukes rated the album three-and-a-half-stars-out-of-five, and wrote "the result is a meaty and ambitious project that doesn’t always click, but clears new ground when it does." [9] At Billboard , Annie Reuter vowed that "Paisley still knows how to have a good time" even though the material here is quite weighty. [17] McLennan of The Boston Globe gave a positive review, when he wrote "Brad Paisley can swing for the top of the charts and not lose any respect in the process." [10] At Country Weekly, Paxman noted that "serious music buffs are going to love Wheelhouse, while cursory fans may be left scratching their heads", and this is because "that’s what happens when you refuse to play it safe." [11]
NPR's music critic Will Hermes affirmed that "the jury's still out on his therapeutic approach, but as a musician, he's at the top of his game." [20] GAC's Addison claimed that "when the joyous anthem 'Officially Alive' arrives to close the album, the total impact of Wheelhouse is felt with a daring and adventurous collection full of striking emotion to create one of the year’s best releases." [3] At Spin, Jason Gubbels felt that outside "Accidental Racist" the album has "16 other rather good songs", but felt that "Paisley's desire to step outside his comfort zone now seems eerily presaged by the figure emblazoned on Wheelhouse's cover, plunging into the void." [7] MSN Music's critic Christgau found the album to contain "two or three great songs and a fair number of pretty good ones". [16] Andy Gill of The Independent stated that "on the excellent Wheelhouse, Brad Paisley tiptoes a fine line between satisfying his core country audience and encouraging them to more adventurous attitudes." [18]
Conversely, Allmusic music critic Erlewine claimed that the title "Wheelhouse, is a fake-out" in comparison to his previous album, but that "throughout the album, Paisley finds something to celebrate in every little corner of the world, or at the very least, the countries where his career has taken him." [6] At Premier Guitar, Shadrick found that "Wheelhouse is Paisley’s most pop-sounding album to date, and with that, makes me wonder how long it will be before that vitamin that you stick in the cupcake disappears completely." [14] PopMatters's Dave Heaton gave the album a six-out-of-ten, and alluded to how Paisley has a "limited" wheelhouse "intellectually". [21] At Rolling Stone, Eddy affirmed that "Brad Paisley's latest is so well meaning it's tempting to forgive how overwrought it is", which is because "two tracks that subject the South to tough love" in "Southern Comfort Zone" and "Accidental Racist" "feel confused". [15] Roughstock's Matt Bjorke told that "Wheelhouse is a different album for Brad Paisley", which is the reason he rated it two-and-a-half-out-of-five-stars, but felt that "Wheelhouse is a record that Brad Paisley had to make -- it's a record that every artist of his stature needs to make -- at some point in his career. It's certainly risk-taking in many places and certainly instrumentally interesting but it still feels…lacking." [12]
The album debuted at #1 in the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, selling over 100,000 copies in the first week, becoming Paisley's seventh number one album. [22] It also peaked at #2 in Billboard 200, behind Paramore's self-titled album. [23] As of June 12, 2013, the album has sold 207,000 copies in the U.S. [24]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bon Voyage" | 0:19 | |
| 2. | "Southern Comfort Zone" | 5:16 | |
| 3. | "Beat This Summer" | Paisley, DuBois, Luke Laird | 4:41 |
| 4. | "Outstanding in Our Field" (featuring Dierks Bentley and Roger Miller with Hunter Hayes on guitar) |
| 4:02 |
| 5. | "Pressing On a Bruise" (featuring Mat Kearney) |
| 3:17 |
| 6. | "I Can't Change the World" |
| 4:41 |
| 7. | "幽女 (Onryo [25] )" (meaning "Quiet Female") (Instrumental) |
| 1:39 |
| 8. | "Karate" (featuring Charlie Daniels) |
| 4:04 |
| 9. | "Death of a Married Man" (featuring Eric Idle) | Paisley | 0:47 |
| 10. | "Harvey Bodine" |
| 3:28 |
| 11. | "Tin Can On a String" |
| 4:08 |
| 12. | "Death of a Single Man" |
| 4:24 |
| 13. | "The Mona Lisa" |
| 3:54 |
| 14. | "Accidental Racist" (featuring LL Cool J) |
| 5:51 |
| 15. | "Runaway Train" |
| 4:28 |
| 16. | "Those Crazy Christians" |
| 4:21 |
| 17. | "Officially Alive" | Paisley | 3:56 |
| Total length: | 1:03:16 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18. | "Yankee Doodle Dixie" | traditional, arr.
| 1:12 |
| 19. | "Facebook Friends" |
| 4:10 |
| 20. | "Get Even" |
| 3:25 |
| 21. | "Southern Comfort Zone" (acoustic version) |
| 4:37 |
| Total length: | 1:16:35 | ||
Adapted from liner notes. [30]
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums Chart [31] | 2 |
| US Billboard 200 [31] | 2 |
| US Billboard Top Country Albums [31] | 1 |
| Chart (2013) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 [32] | 100 |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard) [33] | 23 |
Brad Douglas Paisley is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His first success came in 1997 as the writer of David Kersh's "Another You". After this, he signed with Arista Nashville in 1998 and released his debut album Who Needs Pictures in 1999. This was the first of twelve studio albums he would release for the album before its closure in 2023, after which he transferred to EMI Nashville. His most commercially successful albums are Mud on the Tires (2003) and Time Well Wasted (2005), both certified double-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Mud on the Tires is the third studio album by American country music artist Brad Paisley. Released on July 22, 2003, through Arista Nashville, it produced four hit singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts: the Top Five hits "Celebrity", "Little Moments" and "Whiskey Lullaby", as well as the Number One title track. The album itself has been certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA, while "Whiskey Lullaby" and the title-track have been certified as gold singles.
Time Well Wasted is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Brad Paisley. It was released on August 16, 2005, on Arista Nashville. It was the Country Music Association's Album of the Year for 2006.
"Whiskey Lullaby" is a song written by Bill Anderson and Jon Randall. The song was a duet recorded by American country music artist Brad Paisley and bluegrass artist Alison Krauss on Paisley's album Mud on the Tires. The song was released on March 29, 2004, as the album's third single, and the 11th chart single of Paisley's career. Whiskey Lullaby peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, and No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song won the 2005 Country Music Association Song of the Year Award. It was certified 2× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
5th Gear is the sixth studio album by American country music singer Brad Paisley. It was released June 19, 2007, by Arista Nashville and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, with first week sales of about 197,000 copies. On April 9, 2008, 5th Gear was certified platinum by the RIAA.
Part II is the second studio album by American country music artist Brad Paisley. Released on May 29, 2001, through Arista Nashville, it became Paisley's second platinum-certified album in the United States. It produced four singles; "Two People Fell in Love", "Wrapped Around", "I'm Gonna Miss Her " and "I Wish You'd Stay", which respectively reached number 4, number 2, number 1, and number 7 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. "Too Country" also entered the country charts from unsolicited airplay.
Brad Paisley Christmas is the first Christmas album and fifth studio album by American country music artist Brad Paisley. It was released on October 10, 2006, by Arista Nashville. His first album of Christmas music, features a mix of traditional Christmas songs and newly written songs. The track "Born on Christmas Day" was written by Paisley when he was thirteen years old, and the recording features elements from a recording Paisley made of the song in 1985. Also included is a cover of Buck Owens' "Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy". Also included is "Kung Pao Buckaroo Holiday", a parody on political correctness.
"Ticks" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Brad Paisley. It was released in March 2007 as the first single from his 2007 album 5th Gear. The song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Paisley wrote this song with Kelley Lovelace and Tim Owens.
"I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Brad Paisley. It was released in February 2002 as the third single from his album Part II. The song reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart (then known as the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart) that year, becoming the third number-one hit of Paisley's career. Paisley wrote this song with Frank Rogers, who also produced it.
Play: The Guitar Album is the seventh studio album by American musician Brad Paisley. It was released on November 4, 2008. Like all of his previous albums, Play was released on Arista Nashville and produced by Frank Rogers.
"Start a Band" is a song written by Dallas Davidson, Ashley Gorley and Kelley Lovelace. It was recorded as a duet by American country music artist Brad Paisley and Australian country music artist Keith Urban for Paisley's sixth studio album Play. Released in September 2008 as the only single from that album, it is also one of only four non-instrumental tracks on the album. It is Paisley's 22nd entry on the Billboard country charts, and Urban's 18th and ranked number one on the US Hot Country Songs charts in 2009.
"Then" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Brad Paisley. It is his twenty-third entry on the Billboard country charts, debuting at number 26 on the chart week of April 4, 2009. The song is the lead-off single from his seventh studio album, American Saturday Night, which was released via Arista Nashville on June 30, 2009. It is one of Paisley's four songs certified 2× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, the others being "She's Everything", "Whiskey Lullaby", and "Remind Me". Paisley wrote this song with Ashley Gorley and Chris DuBois.
American Saturday Night is the eighth studio album by American country music artist Brad Paisley. It was released on June 30, 2009, by Arista Nashville. Like all of his previous studio albums, it is produced by Frank Rogers. The first single, "Then," has become his fourteenth Number One on the Hot Country Songs chart. iTunes released songs from the album weekly as part of the countdown to the album's release. "Water" was released on June 9, 2009, followed by the title track on June 16 and "Everybody's Here" on June 23. The second radio single is "Welcome to the Future." The title track was released as the third single on November 16, 2009. As of the chart dated January 8, 2011, the album has sold 714,812 copies in the US. It earned a 2009 Academy of Country Music Awards nomination for "Album of the Year". In 2012, MSN.com listed American Saturday Night as one of the 21 Essential 21st-Century Albums.
Hits Alive is the first compilation album by American country music artist Brad Paisley. This album contains two CDs of a collection of Paisley's greatest hits spanning his entire career. The first disc contains studio versions, and the second disc contains live versions. It was released on November 2, 2010, on Arista Nashville. It sold 31,000 copies in its first week. As of the chart dated April 16, 2011, the album has sold 235,881 copies in the US.
Love Is Everything is the twenty-eighth studio album by American country music artist George Strait. It was released on May 14, 2013 via MCA Nashville. Lead-off single "Give It All We Got Tonight" was released October 29, 2012 and became a top-10 single. Strait co-produced the album with his long-time producer Tony Brown. The album release was accompanied by a Spring 2014 concert tour, The Cowboy Rides Away Tour.
Bring You Back is the debut album by American country music artist Brett Eldredge. It was released on August 6, 2013 by Atlantic Records. The album was originally titled One Way Ticket, and was to include Eldredge's second single "It Ain't Gotta Be Love". However, the album was renamed before release and "It Ain't Gotta Be Love" was scrapped from the final track listing. The album includes the singles "Raymond", "Don't Ya", "Beat of the Music" and "Mean to Me", the latter three of which all reached number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. The album has gained critical acclaim by music critics.
"I Can't Change the World" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Brad Paisley. It was released in August 2013 as the third single from his ninth studio album, Wheelhouse. Paisley co-wrote the song with Chris DuBois and Kelley Lovelace. In August 2013, Paisley announced plans to film a movie based on the song.
Moonshine in the Trunk is the eleventh studio album by American country music artist Brad Paisley. It was released on August 25, 2014, by Arista Nashville. It became Paisley's eighth album to hit No. 1 on Billboard's country chart.
"Crushin' It" is a song recorded by American country music artist Brad Paisley. It was released on January 26, 2015, by Arista Nashville as the third single from his tenth studio album, Moonshine in the Trunk. He co-wrote the song with Kelley Lovelace and Lee Thomas Miller, and co-produced it with Luke Wooten.
Love and War is the twelfth studio album by American country music singer Brad Paisley. It was released on April 21, 2017, and is his final album to be released through Arista Nashville. The album's lead single is "Today".
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