Rating:
Genre:
Country
Release Date: 07/02/2001
Run Time: 31:21
If there was one record that established
Alan Jackson as a bona fide star,
Don't Rock the Jukebox was it. The set featured no less than two number one singles in the title track and
"Love's Got a Hold on You," and three more entered the Top Ten. This is
Jackson at what he does best, being a modern
honky tonk singer not quite as tough as
Dwight Yoakam, but with more sex appeal and easier on the ears for those who like their "hard
country" smoothed a bit. That's more
Keith Stegall's fault than
Jackson's, as there is no doubt by his having written or co-written all but one song here that he's the real thing. The truth of the matter is that
Jackson's mettle comes in the
ballads, like the criminally overlooked
"That's All I Need to Know," or in the story-songs like
"Dallas." "Midnight in Montgomery" is a stellar song about encountering the ghost of
Hank Williams; its Spanish guitar overtones in the intro made it perfect for the radio, but its innovative video far overshadowed the song as a single. But hits aside,
Don't Rock the Jukebox is solid as a
new traditionalist record, meaning that it's a
country record with ever-present pedal steel for every synth or glossy fiddle.
Jackson's voice is in the groove, down there with
Jones and
Haggard, tougher than
Travis, leaner than
Strait, and almost as hillbilly as
Yoakam. This is a great record that stands the test of time.
~Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
;)
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