Who Needs Pictures

Product descriptionBrad Paisley - Who Needs Pictures - CDAmazon.comYou'd never have guessed that this country hunk would turn out to have a brain and a heart hiding under his Western gear, but Brad Paisley'sWho Needs Pictures is among the more encouraging albums to come out of Nashville in some time. Rather than running from country's traditions, Paisley embraces them, going so far as to include the gospel standard "In the Garden" alongside original songs that tackle more contemporary subjects such as single motherhood ("He Didn't Have to Be") or church services that interfere with a Sunday out on the lake ("Long Sermon"). Just as promising, the guitars (Paisley's own picks) and fiddles here have been recorded in all their biting, twangy glory. There are problems--a few arrangements are predictably busy and the gimmicky fake-out ending of "Me Neither" is clever precisely once--but overall, Paisley's debut seems like a sign of something good about to develop.--David Cantwell

WHO NEEDS PICTURES [BRAD PAISLEY]