Rating:
Genre:
Country
Release Date: 10/19/2004
Lucky Ones is
Pat Green's third album for a major label, but it's the first one where he truly seems comfortable gunning for the big time. He enlists producer
Don Gehman, who produced a few songs on his previous album, 2003's
Wave on Wave, for the entire record, and
Gehman not only gives
Lucky Ones a bright
roots rock feel similar to the albums he produced for
John Mellencamp, he also enlists drummer
Kenny Aronoff and violinist
Lisa Germano, both
Mellencamp vets, for a few tracks. These two, along with a few other session musicians, mix seamlessly with
Green's seven-piece backing band, giving the album a consistent sound -- and that sound is big and shiny, part
contemporary country, part
heartland rock, all polished and designed for a wide audience. The
ballads never get too maudlin, the up-tempo numbers never rock too hard. All the songs are about love and good times, whether it's about how it's good to be home or sitting around with
Brad Paisley and reminiscing about college. It's all bright and tuneful, closer to the mainstream Midwest
rock of the '80s than
contemporary country, but that's part of its appeal -- it's well-crafted, highly polished, anthemic
roots rock that appeals to the heart of America. While it is true that if you listen hard enough it's possible to hear the formula and the calculation behind
Green's amalgam of
country and MOR rock, there's no denying that at its best it's hard to resist, and there's also no denying that
Lucky Ones finds the singer at his best.
~Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
;)
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