For several weeks and probably to the dismay of his record label, country superstar Brad Paisley has been ‘leaking’ songs off his upcoming album, ‘Moonshine in the Trunk.’ He even convinced his wife, Ellen Degeneres, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and others to help him with his “rogue” mission. But luckily for the record label, Brad is set to release the album this upcoming Monday, August 25th, so he won’t have to leak the songs for much longer as they will be available to the public. I got my hands on an advanced copy of ‘Moonshine in the Trunk,’ and although I heard most of the songs during Brad’s and his friends’ ‘leaks,’ listening to the full compilation of the record made me appreciate the songs even more than each of them on their own. I’ve broken down each of the songs with my impression and my favorite lyric from the song.
1.) ‘Crushin’ It’ – Written by Brad Paisley, Kelley Lovelace, and Lee Thomas Miller.
Impression: The album starts with a fun drinking song. Basically the week is what it is. But when the weekend comes, Brad has a cold Bud Light or a cold margarita, and he will be ‘crushin’ it.’ I love the instrumentals in the beginning and it’s definitely a fun way to start the album. Probably as much fun as Brad has been having with leaking the album!
Favorite Lyric: I was never gonna be the best or brightest guy around, but like the great George freaking Strait, I’m the king of gettin’ unwound.
2.) ‘Riverbank’ – Written by Brad Paisley and Kelley Lovelace.
Impression: The song was released in April and it has been a hit since day one. Brad told The Tennesseean that the song is influenced by his upbringing near the Ohio River, “My best memories with my grandfather are on that body of water, and my dad, and learning to ski. It’s kind of like a back-to-basics song, which is really an inner tube and a boat and you’ve got a theme park.” The song, which peaked at number two on Billboard’s Country Airplay Chart, discusses a man and a woman who have an inner tube, a boat, and a river and just go and have a damn good time because that’s what they have available to them.
Favorite Lyric: Ya know even if our ship came in and this is all we got, it ain’t like we really need a million dollar yacht…’cause, we got an inner tube, we got a trailer hitch…
3.) ‘Perfect Storm’ – Written by Brad Paisley and Lee Thomas Miller.
Impression: ‘Perfect Storm’ is a mid-tempo ballad that describes a woman that has her flaws and he loves her anyways equating her to a ‘single barrel bourbon on ice’ or ‘sunshine mixed with a little hurricane.’ I love the electric guitar component right at the 2:45 mark, very Brad Paisley-esque.
Favorite Lyric: And she loves just as deep as she goes when she’s down, the highs match the lows, can’t have one without the other, and I love her just the way God made her, sunshine mixed with a little hurricane.
4.) ‘High Life’ – Written by Brad Paisley, Chris DuBois, Brent Anderson, and Kelley Lovelace.
Impression: This is another fun song about a family who will do anything, except work, for money. Whether it be through inheriting from their late grandfather, or for suing Chick-fil-A when Mama slipped on a patch of ice outside their store, or suing Carrie Underwood for a song that sounded like a poem they wrote… which he may be drawing inspiration off of a lawsuit that he is currently named in, along with Carrie Underwood, by a woman claiming they stole ‘Remind Me’ from her. Carrie also makes a guest narration appearance at the end.
Favorite Lyric: Now we knew they was a Christian bunch, so we didn’t ask for all that much, settled out of court for ten thousand bucks, and free chicken ‘til our dyin’ day.
5.) ‘Moonshine in the Trunk’ – Written by Brad Paisley, Chris DuBois, and Brent Anderson.
Impression: Straight forward song about driving like they have “moonshine in the trunk.” Brad throws some references in the song of the Dukes of Hazard such as “like we’re helpin’ out Uncle Jesse, makin’ a midnight run…” Brad has his pedal to the metal in the song, as if he were a bootlegger and he may have his pedal to the metal up the charts as well with this one.
Favorite Lyric: Chances are, I gotta Mason jar, rollin’ ‘round in the back, that white lightnin’s long gone, but it shouldn’t be hard to act.
6.) ‘Shattered Glass’ – Written by Brad Paisley.
Impression: Brad recruited Ellen Degeneres to help leak this song. Even though Brad only has two sons, this song is written from the perspective of a father talking to his little girl. Telling her to dream big, and shoot for the stars. This is a song that will relate to thousands and maybe one of Brad’s best written and most meaningful songs.
Favorite Lyric: It’s kinda fun for a guy like me, sitting here in your shotgun seat, watching you leave ‘em all in the dust, because I believe in you, and I wanna see your dreams come true.
7.) ‘Lime’ – Written by Brad Paisley, Kelley Lovelace, and Lee Thomas Miller.
Impression: I’m starting to think that Brad Paisley really love margaritas. Similar to when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade, Brad says “when life gives you limes, you make margaritas!” Good thinking, Brad!
Favorite Lyric: Whatever is done is done, the night is young, let’s have some fun, are you with me, and try to forget the sh… that hit the fan…
8.) ‘You Shouldn’t Have To’ – Written by Brad Paisley, Kelley Lovelace, and Tim Owens.
Impression: In this song, Brad sings about a woman that he admires and how she deserves the best treatment; whether it is making her own breakfast, pumping her own gas, or buying her own beer, she shouldn’t have to. My favorite part of the song is the tongue-twisting rap-like verses at 2:58. It’s a song full of chivalry. See, ladies, chivalry isn’t dead!
Favorite Lyric: Feel like anything less than the best-lookin’ thing this town’s ever seen, have a dress you’d love to wear but you gotta wait, ’cause there ain’t nobody there to help you zip the thing.
9.) ‘4WP’ – Written by Brad Paisley, Chris DuBois, and Brent Anderson.
Impression: The song starts with what sounds like a drum solo and some old-school traditional country guitar. Y’all may be asking what ‘4WP’ stand for… hell, I sure was. Instead of four-wheel drive, it stands for four-wheel park. In the song, a guy is in his truck with a girl and he pulls down an old dirt drive, and parks… you know the rest.
Favorite Lyric: Now the mood’s just right in the dashboard light, we’re steaming up my windows, while her favorite singer’s singing her favorite song on the radio, let’s get a little mud on the tires.
10.) ‘Cover Girl’ – Written by Brad Paisley, Chris DuBois, and Brent Anderson.
Impression: ‘Cover Girl’ is an upbeat song that we can assume that he wrote about his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley. In the song, he talks about her looking hot on the red carpet while photographers tell the hillbilly (presumably Brad) to get out of the shot. It’s a good upbeat love song about Brad’s love of his life.
Favorite Lyric: Red carpet, you’re lookin’ hot, and I think I am too, but I guess I’m not, ’cause it’s “Hey hillbilly, get outta the shot,” as the cameras flash.
11.) ‘Gone Green’ – Written by Kenny Lewis.
Impression: This song definitely has the most country sound to it because of the instrumentals featured in the song, but then you listen to the lyrics and you realize it is the furthest thing from a traditional country song. It is definitely the most amusing song on the record about a redneck who has gone green including trading his Ford in for an electric car. This song is the only one on the record that Brad did not have a part in writing.
Favorite Lyric: Well not long ago someone told me, to quit using paper, stop killing trees. She said soon there won’t be no more books, I swear to God on a stack of Nooks.
12.) ‘JFK 1962’ – Written by Brad Paisley.
Impression: It’s listed as a track but it’s really not a song. It is a 54-second snip bit of John F. Kennedy’s ‘We choose to go to the moon’ speech that he delivered at Rice University in Dallas on September 12, 1962 mixed with some strings, guitar, and beats. It appears to be a prequel to set up the next song.
13.) ‘American Flag on the Moon’ – Written by Brad Paisley.
Impression: Similar to ‘Shattered Glass,’ this seems to be a song to inspire people to dream and that anything is possible. In the song, he references talking with his son, so I love that he brought in what sounds like an elementary school chorus to sing, “Tonight I dare you to dream, go on believe impossible things.” It’s a great song, it truly is. One of my favorites on the entire album.
Favorite Lyric: We’re the children of explorers, we came here from every corner, the adventurers that settled this land, lead the world, fought tyranny; touched the stars, brought liberty. Let’s do that again.
14.) ‘Country Nation’ – Written by Brad Paisley, Chris DuBois and Kelley Lovelace.
Impression: While ‘American flag on the Moon’ is one of my favorites on the album, Brad Paisley saved the best for last, as ‘Country Nation’ is my favorite track on the album and is the last track listed on the album. The song is all about the different types of people who like country music. It’s not just the rednecks form the south. And being New England Country Music, we know this best! People outside of the northeast are always surprised how many country music fans are up here. The song references everyone who makes up ‘Country Nation.’
Favorite Lyric: We’re all across the map, down city streets and old dirt roads. We’re the fabric of this nation, and we’re a nation all our own.
15.) ‘Me and Jesus’ – Written by Brad Paisley, Chris DuBois and Kelley Lovelace.
Impression: The track is noted as a ‘extra special bonus track.’ Brad performed this song at George Jones’ funeral in 2013 and it was not originally slated to be on the record. It’s a very raw song with just an acoustic guitar. Unlike the majority of songs on the album, it is a very serious song. There’s nothing fun or amusing about it which is somewhat refreshing.
Favorite Lyric: I know a man, that once was a drunk. I know a man, that once was a loser. He went out in the woods and made an altar out of a stump.
My take: it is another fun album by Brad Paisley that will bring some great moments to his live performances. For years, Brad has been known to incorporate fun and amusing lyrics into some great country music and it’s been a great success. So why stop now? ‘Moonshine in the Trunk‘ has a number of songs that will be relevant and relatable for fans. Also, known for being a great guitar player, many of these songs will allow Brad to showcase his incredible guitar skills during his live performances throughout the country. I believe that this album will be more successful than Brad’s last album, ‘Wheelhouse,’ and it should not have a problem selling- even if Brad has leaked nearly the entire record already.
You can pre-order Brad Paisley’s ‘Moonshine in the Trunk‘ on iTunes.