Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
very different - but not necessarily in a bad way , November 4, 2008
Let me first start off by saying that this CD is not for everyone - especially those who are looking for a typical Brad Paisley "Time Well Wasted" type album. "Play" has only four songs that have vocals on them, which makes it pretty much a bluegrass/instrumental album. Very well done, but very non-traditional and not "cookie cutter" radio ready country music. It's a big gamble, and a lot of people are not gonna be happy about it.
That being said - wow, can this guy play the strings! Listen to him tear them up on the first two tracks "Huckleberry Jam", and "Turf's Up". There are also some mellow instrumental tunes such as "Kim", which is one of my personal favorites. The album is a little similar to Union Station and Nickel Creek type guitar play. Different stuff - and you really have to hear it for yourself to decide if it's for you or not.
Overall, I find it very interesting and ironic that two of country music's biggest stars (kenny chesney and brad paisley) both come out with non-traditional country albums within a month of each other. Kenny with his island style, and now Brad with his guitar play. Maybe this will shake up the music industry a little bit, and open the door to a wider range of new music coming into the genre.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not your typical country album, November 13, 2008
I don't listen to much country music; what little I do listen to is generally considered "alt-country". I had only ever heard a song or two by Brad Paisley before, but picked up this album based on recommendations from other guitar players. (I "Play", though not on par with Brad!) I love instrumental rock, especially instrumental guitar pieces, and think this is a great album. That said, it is pretty all over the place, and I can see staunch country-music fans might not like it. A couple of the songs have a very rockabilly Brian Setzer vibe, and "Turf's Up" is pure homage to Dick Dale. "Cliffs of Rock City" I've heard is a nod to Eric Johnson's "Cliffs of Dover" (another great instrumental rock piece). "Les is More" is a jazzy little number giving respect to Les Paul. The guitar playing is fantastic throughout, and the songs are creative and melodic, and honour those mentioned above without being derivative. My least favourite songs on this album are actually the songs with lyrics. If you're a dedicated country music fan, this might be a skip for you. If you enjoy great guitar playing and various styles of music, I'd say give this a shot, even if you never listen to country music.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not surprised, December 13, 2008
Anybody familiar with Brad Paisley's previous work knows that the guy is an absolute guitar monster. That said, there is not much on this CD that hasn't appeared in some form on his previous CDs. Yes, he has his guitar idols recording with him here, but the songs all have Brad's signature sound. What's interesting is that on most of the songs I can't tell when it's Brad playing and when it's the guest artist. Only on "Let the Good Times Roll" can you easily distinguish B.B. King's blues playing from Brad's more rock style. One thing that this CD does demonstrate is the influence of Albert Lee (a guest artist) on modern country pickers since many of the players here (Vince Gill, Brent Mason, John Jorgensen, and Brad his own self) sound like they spent alot of time studying Albert's style. One of the most entertaining songs on the CD is the duet with Keith Urban "Start a Band." It opens with a "candid" exchange between Paisley and Urban where the former tries to show off his ability to play the opening licks to "Stairway to Heaven" (muffing it completely, of course). This leads into a tune that anyone who has ever played in a bar band will find quite hilarious (sample lines: "learn Free Bird and Ramblin' Man", "never buy a beer again"). There are actually lots of "in" jokes for guitar players and enthusiasts on this CD which will never be picked up on by the general public, but that won't take away from everybody's enjoyment of the music. All in all a very solid CD from Brad and bonus points if it generates interest in pickers James Burton, Albert Lee, John Jorgensen, Brent Mason, and Redd Volkaert, all of whom deserve a much wider audience than they have.
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by Brad Paisley 
