Paisley puts guitar front and center on new album

By Deborah Evans Price

NASHVILLE (Billboard) - It might seem a bit of a paradox that after winning the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music's male vocalist titles, Brad Paisley turned to mostly instrumental work on his new album.

But Paisley has developed a reputation as a multitalented maverick who always keeps things interesting, and he does just that on "Play," due November 4 via Arista Nashville.

"When we settled on Election Day for the release of the album, we realized we're taking a bit of a chance, but we're taking a chance with this record anyway, so why not?" he said.

"Play" comes on the heels of Paisley's 2007 album, "5th Gear," which has sold 1.2 million units, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and spawned four No. 1 country singles. He recently scored his eighth consecutive No. 1 on Hot Country Songs with "Waitin' on a Woman," a song originally released on his 2005 album, "Time Well Wasted."

In recording "Play," Paisley worked with longtime producer Frank Rogers to record an album that would be palatable to fans who were not guitar aficionados.

"The last thing people want to hear is stuff that you have to have a music degree to enjoy. We made this record a little more relatable and commercial than expected," said Paisley, who won the Grammy Award for best country instrumental performance this year for "Throttleneck" from "5th Gear." "That's why we're taking six months and focusing on it instead of putting it out simultaneously with '5th Gear' or in the middle of any other record."

STARRY LINEUP

"Play" spotlights Paisley's prowess on the guitar and also includes duets with the late Buck Owens, B.B. King, Steve Wariner and Keith Urban. "Start a Band," which finds Paisley and Urban trading vocals and guitar licks, is the project's lead single.

"More Than Just This Song," co-written by Paisley and Wariner, is a tribute to their mentors. Wariner salutes Chet Atkins, and Paisley honors a hometown hero. "My guitar mentor was a guy named Hank Goddard, who was a great finger-style jazzy player somewhere between Les Paul and Chet Atkins in feel," Paisley said. "I studied with him, and he let me in his band when I was a teenager. On the record, Steve plays one of Chet's guitars, and I had Hank's old Gibson. Each of us tried to play not like ourselves but like our mentors."

The backbone of the project is Paisley's soulful guitar playing on such tunes as "Huckleberry Jam," penned for his son, and "Kim," inspired by his wife. "Sometimes in a song like that, the spaces can mean as much as any note, especially when it's a name like Kim. There's a part where it breaks down into a minor section and gets dark, and trust me, that happens in real life as well," he said with a laugh.

Paisley admitted that people frequently comment after his concerts that they were stunned by his guitar skills. "I think what has surprised people over the years about some of the things I've done probably could be credited to this instrument as much as anything, allowing me to open up my mind and go some places unexpected," said the artist, who began playing at age 8.

"Play" may be something of a departure from his usual studio albums, but Paisley thinks fans will enjoy the ride. "It is my love affair with this instrument," he said. "Hopefully, we won't lose momentum with this record. If we do, then I'll just have to work twice as hard to get it back, but it's worth the risk because it's such a labor of love for me."

Reuters/Billboard