Artist: Jason Aldean
Album: Old Boots, New Dirt
Genre: New Country

After weeks spent atop the country music charts with his hit single “Burnin’ It Down,” Jason Aldean has prepared a hit-and-miss collection of material for his sixth studio album.

Looking at Jason Aldean it’s hard to believe he has been a music industry mainstay for a decade (and counting). He’s got just enough of a baby face to sell perpetual youth, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that the vast majority of his material deals with things like falling in love, staying out all night, and working hard for a chance to have a good time. Chasing the idea that you can stay young forever might as well be the cornerstone of his music career, at least in recent years, and Old Boots, New Dirt pushes that message more than anything Aldean has released to date.

Beginning with the fittingly titled “Just Gettin’ Started,” Aldean wastes no time setting up the themes and scenes he will explore over the course of the album’s 51-minute runtime. It’s night, the stars are out, there’s a beautiful girl by his side, and he’s out to have the time of his life. Hell, they might not even make it to the party (if you know what he means). It’s catchy, albeit empty pop music that falls perfectly in line with the countless songs about late night parties on the outskirts of town that have flooded country radio over the last year. “Show You Off” and “Burnin’ It Down,” the songs that immediately follow this opener, drive these themes home again and again.

There is no denying Aldean’s ability to write a solid hook about living life to the fullest with a gorgeous woman by your side, but without adding much to the mix from song to song–from a lyrical standpoint–the first half of Old Boots, New Dirt begins to feel incredibly repetitive. That’s not to say there are no potential singles; in fact the opposite is much more likely the case, but listening to one track about celebrating life after another does leave you wondering what exactly Aldean has to say about his own existence at this point in life that cannot be heard in a dozen songs by other artists.

The answer, or at least the best version of one that it I could find, arrives early in the back half of the record. Starting with “Too Fast,” Aldean drops the heavy pop influence for a heartbreaking return to his country roots. The man who seemed obsessed with living for the moment just a few tracks before now expresses regret for letting life pass him by without doing anything substantial with his existence. He’s found success, yes, but at what cost? Love? A family? A place to lay his head at night? Aldean wants those things, even though he still feels the road calling him, and he uses much of the latter portion of the record to talk about the things that really matter to him.

“If My Truck Could Talk” kicks off the best portion of Old Boots, New Dirt with a deeply personal and often hilarious look at one man’s relationship to his vehicle. It’s the perfect combination of ballad and potential radio hit, with a laid back groove and lyrics you won’t soon forget. The title track follows this effort, bringing back the themes from the first half of the record and adding a hearty dose of introspection to keep things grounded. It’s not as immediately grabbing as other songs, but it’s a nice reminder of the place Aldean came from. “I Took It With Me” builds on the song, referencing the singer’s roots and the pieces of home he carries with him wherever he roams. It feels like an Eric Church track to an extent, but that’s hardly a complaint.

The album wraps up with “Two Night Town,” a quasi-ballad about spending a little too much time in a place you were never meant to stay. Aldean uses the idea of being in a two night town for three nights to draw comparisons to recognizing when you’re in the wrong and doing nothing to stop it. May it be gambling, cheating on your love, or something ten times worse, many of us seem incapable of hitting the breaks on life until life hits them in the face. It’s not overly motivational, but it does leave things on a rather somber and honest note that lingers long after you have walked away from the record.

There are a lot of potential singles on Old Boots, New Dirt that should help keep Jason Aldean playing to packed houses for another year, but it comes at the expense of crafting a cohesive listening experience. After three or four spins the record begins to sound more like a mixtape than a complete effort, and as such offers very little reason for listeners to continue spinning the album in full moving forward. It’s the type of record where you find the five or six songs that you love and delete the rest off your hard drive. The songs you keep may be great–some of the best country has produced all year even–but if you paid for a full record and ended up with an EP worth of good material I have to argue the album was not that great in the first place.

SCORE: 6.5/10
Review written by James Shotwell Follow @utgjames

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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