American Saturday Night (Bonus Track Version)

This album touches upon just about everything that Brad Paisley does especially well — comical narratives, beer-soaked party anthems, affirmations of everyday love, and plenty of fret-scorching guitar work. Paisley seems in a mellow mood as he follows an unfolding love affair (“Then”), embraces societal change (“Welcome to the Future”), and celebrates cultural diversity (the title track). Even heartache-tinged tunes like “Everybody’s Here” and “Oh Yeah, You’re Gone” seem more bemused than tormented. As before, he excels at tossing off crowd-rousing upbeat numbers like the frenetic “Catch All the Fish” and the slightly kinky “The Pants,” and he reaffirms his sharp eye for lyric detail and knack for wordplay in “Anything Like Me” (an expectant father’s confession) and “She’s Her Own Woman” (a toast to an independent-minded spouse). American Saturday Night is remarkable in its ability to balance old-fashioned country verities with a progressive outlook while mixing honky-tonk motifs with rock ‘n’ roll flourishes.