Play: The Guitar Album

by Brad Paisley

Overview

Brad Paisley never made his love of classic '60s country a secret, often inviting his idols into the studio to record cornpone skits straight out of Hee Haw. Paisley is so steeped in the '60s that it's easy to ignore that he was born much, much later, growing up in the heyday of shred guitarists in the late '80s. These two seemingly opposed sides surface on Play, a predominantly instrumental album where the spotlight shines so brightly on the six-string that even the cuts with vocals are either about or are showcases for the guitar. Some of this falls well within the bounds of the expected chicken-picking, with Paisley paying such loving, explicit tribute to Don Rich that he quotes the "Buckaroo" theme on the opening cadence of his duet with the late Buck Owens, "Come on In." Paisley's picking on the hypercharged "Huckleberry Jam" and "Cluster Pluck" is a pleasure, but it's also nice to hear him stretch out and play some deep blues on "Kentucky Jelly," trade licks with B.B. King on "Let the Good Times Roll," cop some swinging jazz from Les Paul on the aptly titled "Les Is More," and roll on the breakers on "Turf's Up" (there may not be any novelty songs here, but Paisley sure makes up for that with his punning song titles). As good as these are, it all falls within the realm of the expected; what surprises on Play is how the '80s shred gods surface -- how Paisley's love letter to his wife, "Kim," sounds like how Joe Satriani slowed things down (and Satch surfaces again on the slow-rolling "Departure"), or how he answers Eric Johnson's "Cliffs of Dover" with "Cliffs of Rock City." These ventures into pure '80s shred go a long way to illustrating just how versatile a guitarist Brad Paisley is, and they wind up as accidental autobiography, revealing a side he's previously camouflaged -- but now that it's surfaced, it's easy to see why his albums are always among the most adventurous and best country music of this decade. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	11/04/2008
Label:	Bmg / Bmg / Sony Music / Sony Music Entertainment
UPC:	0888837169929

Tracks

1. Huckleberry Jam
2. Turf's Up
3. Start a Band
4. Kim
5. Departure
6. Come on In
7. Playing with Fire
8. Kentucky Jelly
9. More Than Just This Song
10. Les Is More
11. Pre-Cluster Cluster Pluck Prequel
12. Cluster Pluck
13. Cliffs of Rock City
14. Let the Good Times Roll
15. What a Friend We Have in Jesus
16. Waitin' on a Woman

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Brad Paisley   Primary Artist,Mandolin,Guitar (Bass),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Baritone),Guitar (Electric)
Randle Currie   Guitar (Steel)
Sergeant John Peter Jorgensen   Guest Artist,Guitar (Electric)
Frank Rogers   Organ (Hammond),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (12 String Electric),Piano
Wes Hightower   Vocals (Background)
Vince Gill   Guest Artist,Featured Artist,Guitar (Electric)
John Jorgenson   Featured Artist,Guitar (Electric)
Ben Sesar   Drums
Justin Williamson   Fiddle
Kendall Marcy   Banjo,Keyboards
Gary Hooker   Guitar (Rhythm),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Baritone),Guitar (Electric),Guitar (12 String Electric)
Albert Lee   Guest Artist,Featured Artist,Guitar (Electric)
Brent Mason   Guest Artist,Featured Artist,Guitar (Electric)
Kenny Lewis   Guitar (Bass),Vocals (Background)
Gordon Mote   Piano
Eric Darken   Percussion
Robert Arthur   Guitar (Rhythm),Guitar (Acoustic)
Randel Currie   Guitar (Steel)
Redd Volkaert   Guest Artist,Featured Artist,Guitar (Electric)
Bryan Sutton   Guitar (Acoustic)
Buck Owens   Dobro,Mandolin,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Manny Rogers   Vocals
Snoop Dogg   Vocals
Andy Griffith   Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Jim "Moose" Brown   Organ (Hammond),Piano,Wurlitzer,Farfisa Organ
James Burton   Guest Artist,Featured Artist,Guitar (Electric)
Steve Wariner   Guest Artist,Featured Artist,Guitar (Electric)
Aubrey Haynie   Fiddle
Bernie Herms   Piano
B.B. King   Guest Artist,Featured Artist,Guitar (Electric)
Kevin Grantt   Fretless Bass,Guitar (Bass),Bass (Upright),Bass (Electric)
Keith Urban   Guest Artist,Featured Artist,Guitar (Electric)
Brian David Willis   Drums

Technical Credits

Nick Michaud   Overdub Engineer,Audio Engineer
Chris O'Donnell   Audio Engineer,Overdub Engineer
John Netti   Assistant Engineer
Jim Catino   A&R
Grandpa Paisley   Performer
Toy Band   Performer
Tyler Moles   Digital Editing
Judy Forde Blair   Liner Notes,Creative Producer
Hank Williams   Mastering
Wynn Varble   Composer
Frank Rogers   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Audio Production
Mac McAnally   Composer
Greg Lawrence   Audio Engineer,Mixing Assistant
Brady Barnett   Digital Editing
Sam Theard   Composer
Justin Niebank   Mixing,Audio Engineer,Overdub Engineer
Little Jimmy Dickens   Performer
Ashley Gorley   Composer
John Harvey   Audio Engineer
Robert Arthur   Composer
Richard Barrow   Engineer,Audio Engineer
Neal Cappellino   Engineer
Brad Young   Performer
Buck Owens   Composer
Phillip Stein   Production Assistant
Manny Rogers   Performer
Matt Price   Assistant Engineer
Brad Paisley   Composer,Cover Design,Package Concept
Drew Bollman   Audio Engineer,Mixing Assistant,Overdub Engineer
Mark Petaccia   Assistant Engineer
Traditional   Composer
Snoop Dogg   Introduction
Steve Short   Audio Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Fleecie Moore   Composer
Steve Wariner   Composer
Kelley Lovelace   Composer
Brian David Willis   Engineer,Audio Engineer,Digital Editing,Audio Production,Associate Producer