Music Country star takes on economy, historic election on 'American Saturday Night'

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John Gerome
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. - As much as he enjoys singing about the double lives of computer geeks (Online) and amorous country boys (Ticks), Brad Paisley says there's too much going on in the world to be too lighthearted on his new album, American Saturday Night.

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AP

Brad Paisley, shown in Nashville, Tenn., will play Harbour Station in Saint John along with Dierks Bentley and Jimmy Wayne on Sept. 2.

"I think this country has turned on a dime in a way that none of us foresaw coming a year ago," Paisley, whose sons are two years old and two months old, recently said. "I think all of that and the birth of a son and the bold new times we're living in. . . it's hard to ignore."

Paisley, who co-wrote all 14 new songs, visits those serious themes more often than before, inspired by the historic election of U.S. President Barack Obama and the worldwide economic turmoil that's thrown many people onto hard times.

The title track celebrates diversity ("It's a French kiss, Italian ice margaritas in the moonlight, just another American Saturday night") while Welcome to the Future offers social commentary ("I had a friend in school, running-back on a football team, they burned a cross in his front yard for asking out the homecoming queen").

The first single, Then, his 10th straight to hit No. 1, is a romantic letter to his wife, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley. On this record, there are very few of the mini-stories and characters that set the tone for so many of his other songs, Paisley said.

"This is maybe more heartfelt this time. I didn't even write any liner notes on this album, I didn't write any description of it, I didn't write any thank yous. I feel like it's all in the record. You hear why I'm writing these songs."

Paisley carries the personal touch to the CD cover, which shows him holding a brush in front of a painting of city buildings and distant hills. He painted it himself in about an hour in his barn.

"It was just this idea that meant as much to me as the songs do, to be able to have a cover," he said. "That's another piece of me you're seeing standing there holding that paintbrush."

While American Saturday Night covers new ground, it's not as big a departure as Paisley's last album, a mostly instrumental CD called Play.

"It's still Brad Paisley but it's pushed in different directions," said Joe Galante, chairman of Sony Music Nashville, which includes the singer's Arista label. "If I'm a fan, I'm going on this journey with him. If I'm not a fan, I'm going to be introduced to things I didn't know he can do."