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Music review: Jason Aldean – ‘They Don’t Know’

By Clint Rhodes for The 2 min read
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Jason AldeanĢƵ seventh studio release takes him back to the infectious country-rock style previously featured on 2010ĢƵ “My Kinda Party” and away from the slick production of 2014ĢƵ “Old Boots, New Dirt.”

The Georgia native first caught my attention by delivering spirited tracks like “Tattoos on This Town,” “Dirt Road Anthem” and “SheĢƵ Country” with plenty of swagger and loud, grinding guitars.

The reigning Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year rocks it from the start by declaring that the six-string circus has come to town. “Lights Come On,” penned by Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line, is the perfect number to open the festivities with Aldean describing the adrenaline that starts pumping at the start of every show singing, “When the lightĢƵ come on/And everybodyĢƵ screamin’/Lighters in the sky/And everybodyĢƵ singin’/Every word to every song.”

“A Little More Summertime” is a soaring number that compares the loss of a love to the coming close of summer with its warm rays and endless possibilities slowly fading into fall.

Reminiscent of his hit “Hicktown,” the title track finds Aldean praising the virtues of living in a small town as he passionately announces, “They ain’t seen the blood, sweat and tears it took to live their dreams/When everythingĢƵ on the line/Ain’t just another field, just another farm/No, itĢƵ the ground we grew up on/They think itĢƵ a middle-of-nowhere place where we take it slow/But they don’t know.”

Rousing party anthems like “Comin’ in Hot,” “One We Won’t Forget,” and “The Way a Night Should Feel” dominate the new set and demonstrate why Aldean is a true country superstar.

The tender ballad “First Time Again” features a duet with Kelsea Ballerini and follows the same winning formula as AldeanĢƵ stirring pairing with Kelly Clarkson on “Don’t You Wanna Stay” from 2010.

You can bet that Aldean and his band will be coming in hot when they arrive in Pittsburgh on Sept. 24 for a performance at First Niagara Pavilion.

Clint Rhodes is the ĢƵ music reviewer.

Rhodes can be reached at crhodes@heraldstandard.com.

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