Jason Aldean: ‘Old Boots, New Dirt’ Album Review

On Tuesday, October 7th, country megastar Jason Aldean will release his sixth studio album, titled ‘Old Boots, New Dirt.’ The new album has some large shoes to fill after Aldean’s 2012 album, ‘Night Train,’ generated four number one singles and sold over 1.6 million copies. This album has already produced one number one single, so ‘Old Boots, New Dirt‘ is definitely on the right track. New England Country Music was recently given an advanced copy of ‘Old Boots, New Dirt.’ Check out our review and let us know what you think of the album when it comes out!

1.)  ‘Just Gettin’ Started’ – Written by Chris DeStefano, Rhett Akins, and Ashley Gorley.
Impression: Aldean gets his new album started with ‘Just Gettin’ Started,’ which starts out slow and picks up nicely. The song is sexy and really highlights Aldean’s smooth and sultry voice that he’s known for. In the song, he picks up a woman with the intentions of going to a party but they are having too much of a good time that they may not make it there.
Favorite Lyric: Burn a little rubber at the red light, got a little warning from the blue lights, it’s only going on nine o’clock, but it feels more like midnight…

2.)  ‘Show You Off’ – Written by Neil Thrasher, Tony Martin, and Brett Beavers.
Impression: It’s a cute song about wanting to show his woman off and with Jason recently getting engaged to Brittany Kerr, this may be a nod to her and his relationship. Especially after his very public split from his former wife.
Favorite Lyric: Girl you’ve got that super cab glowing, roll down that tinted window…

3.)  ‘Burnin’ It Down’ – Written by Rodney Clawson, Chris Tompkins, Tyler Hubbard, and Brian Kelley.
Impression: The boys of country mega-duo, Florida-Georgia Line, were co-writers of this song and shortly after the song being released in late July, it hit the top of the country airplay charts. It’s a great song and already a fan favorite.
Favorite Lyric: Sippin’ on some cold Jack Daniels, jammin’ to some old Alabama with you baby. Laying right here naked in my bed. I’m just doing my thing…

4.)  ‘Tryin’ To Love Me’ – Written by Neil Thrasher, Wendell Mobley, and Hillary Lindsey.
Impression: Jason slows it down with this song which illustrates a man who walked away from a relationship and then realizing that the woman was just trying to love him when she was doing all those things that annoyed him or made him mad. It’s definitely a relatable song.
Favorite Lyric: I pushed and you pulled, should have just fell into you. But I did what I always do, I always do. Wanted to talk but I walked away…

5.)  ‘Sweet Little Somethin” – Written by David Lee Murphy, Ben Hayslip, and Marv Green.
Impression: It’s a high-tempo rocking song with some great banjo and great beats. It’s one of my favorite songs on the album and I know many others who feel the same way. It will be a great song for Jason to perform live as it will have fans singing along. I love how strong Jason sings the chorus. Could be one of his bigger hits in his career when it’s all said and done.
Favorite Lyric: Standing there red hot, tied up little tank top. Looking like you must be straight out of the country…

6.)  ‘Laid Back’ – Written by Michael Tyler Spragg, Jaron Boyer, and Adam Shoenfeld.
Impression: ‘Laid Back’ is all about a good ole country party in the middle of nowhere, with some good friends, good drinks, and good music. It is another song on he record that features some awesome instrumentals.
Favorite Lyric: There’s no last call or closing time, just good stuff passing left and right, let that homemade hit you…

7.)  ‘Tonight Looks Good On You’ – Written by Rhett Akins, Ashley Gorley, and Dallas Davidson.
Impression: Listening to this song, you can’t help but think that Jason thought of his new fiancee when he cut this song. It’s a cute song that basically says that no matter what day it is or what she’s wearing, she looks good.
Favorite Lyric: I can taste the midnight on your lips. Makes me just wanna lean in for a another kiss…

8.)  Too Fast’ – Written by Chris Stapleton and Lee Thomas Miller.
Impression: ‘Too Fast’ is a deep song that talks about someone who seems to have put their career ahead of everything else, and regretting that. And maybe that is why Aldean decided to cut it. Maybe it reminded him of himself. He’s one of the biggest stars in country music and always seems to be on tour. So maybe he saw this song as an important song to him especially since he will be starting something new in his personal life.
Favorite Lyric: I’ve been making a living, not making a life, and knowing that now, well it cuts like a knife…

9.)  ‘If My Truck Could Talk’ – Written by Wendell Mobley, Neil Thrasher, and Andrew Pates.
Impression: What’s a country album without a truck song!? Well you got one on this album with ‘If My Truck Could Talk.’ The song talks about how he would have to pull out the wires and do everything he could to keep the truck quiet with all the stories… that is, if his truck could talk.
Favorite Lyric: If my truck could talk, I’d have to yank out all the wires, pour on the gas, set it on fire, anything to shut it up…

10.) ‘Old Boots, New Dirt’ – Written by Neil Thrasher, Lee Thomas Miller, and Tom Shapiro.
Impression: The song to which Jason titled his new album after came in with high expectations and on first listen, the song lives up to those expectations. It’s a playful song about moving to a new town for a fresh start after a breakup.
Favorite Lyric: The only history that I can see is from a civil war. It’s good for me to look around. Go down roads she ain’t been down. No memories of our used to be’s, set me free…

11.) ‘I Took It With Me’ – Written by David Lee Murphy and Ben Hayslip.
Impression: ‘I Took It With Me’ has some great beats that Jason’s drummer, Rich Redmond, will love. Song seems to be a tribute to Jason’s home state of Georgia as he says he ‘took it with him,’ which makes me think that he often thinks of Georgia, how he was raised, and everything else.
Favorite Lyric: I took it with me, that wild street, that fighting size, that on the run on a Friday night. That standing tall small town crowd, I took it with me…

12.) ‘Don’t Change Gone’ – Written by Neil Thrasher, Wendell Mobley, and Tony Martin.
Impression: ‘Don’t Change Gone’ is an emotional breakup song. How many times have y’all gotten out of a relationship and searched the radio for a song that doesn’t remind you of that person? But that person is gone. Well, that’s this song.
Favorite Lyric: Strike a match and burn it down, walk out and leave it laying. Don’t think about a thing just drive, far enough til I find a change of scene…

13.) ‘Miss That Girl’ – Written by David Lee Murphy and Ross Copperman.
Impression: Aldean makes it two straight in the last third of his new album with breakup songs. In the song, a guy finds his ex’s bracelet and he begins to think about her and how he misses her.
Favorite Lyric: Knowing they’ll never be another one like her, not like her,
Kicking myself for ever letting her slip out of my world…

14.) ‘Gonna Know We Were Here’ – Written by Brett Beavers and Brett James.
Impression: After a few emotional songs, Aldean cranks up the energy and noise with ‘Gonna Know We Were Here.’ I think the song can be interpreted many ways but in my opinion, the song is talking about a new relationship and how great this relationship is going to be to the point where people will remember it. It’s -uptempo, it’s loud, it’s good.
Favorite Lyric: Let’s give them something they ain’t never seen, a little rated R redneck dream. Let’s blaze a trail through the dirty south, or give them something they can talk about…

15.) ‘Two Night Town’ – Written by Brett James and Tim Nichols.
Impression: This song has been available on iTunes for awhile now. I think that it’s one of the better songs on the album from the songwriting to the sound of the song. It’s a slow song but features some great and strong instrumentals. The song is all about staying too long until it’s too late.
Favorite Lyric: When am I, ever gonna learn to walk away, when the chips are down and the cards ain’t fallin’ my way, why do I always gotta stay to long till it’s too late..

My take: it’s a very good album. Many say that Jason Aldean is trying to change his sound, but outside of ‘Burnin’ It Down,’ the album is very consistent with what Aldean has done in the past with his sound and music. The album is definitely an emotional roller coaster with a number of breakup songs as well as a number of happy relationship songs, mixed in with some party songs. In a way, the album is very representative of Jason Aldean. He went through a very public and difficult divorce, went on the road and played his music and did what he loves, and he also found new love and now a new fiancee. The last few years have been an emotional roller coaster for Jason Aldean, so it’s only appropriate that his album is the same. Recently named as the Top Digital Country Male Artists of all time by the RIAA, this album will only add to Aldean’s success and record sales.