Rascal Flatts Albums (7)
What The Critics Say
On their sixth album, Unstoppable, Rascal Flatts trade their "aw shucks" persona for a title that Michael Jackson somehow missed in his King of Pop phase, and act like superstars rather than boys next door made good. Almost nothing about Unstoppable is modest, not the sounds, not the sentiments -- only the songs, whether they're sports-bar party anthems like "Summer Nights"; glistening, tightly wound crossover pop like "Close" and its breezy counterpart "She'd Be California"; or arena ballads like the first single, "Here Comes Goodbye." Despite a lot of driving, sequenced rhythms, most of the record feels as if it belongs in the arena ballad category, thanks to how every track comes across as waves of gleaming sound topped by the group's harmonies. The smoothness is overwhelming and Rascal Flatts seem certain of their own invincibility. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Still Feels Good'
Release Date 9/25/2007
Tracks 14
Label Lyric Street
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Proving that nice guys do indeed finish first, Rascal Flatts fought off all challengers with their fourth record, Me and My Gang, turning it into the biggest-selling album of 2006 that wasn't High School Musical. Me and My Gang wasn't a smash hit because it was risky; it was a smash hit because it was friendly, appealing to as broad an audience as possible, the very qualities that Rascal Flatts has turned into a badge of honor during the course of their immensely successful but low-key career. Few bands have had such success without quite being noticed: the trio is so cheerfully average, they never seem like stars, nor do they seem recognizable even after regular CMT rotation and stacks of rewards. Such near-anonymity works for the band and helps give their music a universal appeal, and if that approach has been resoundingly popular, well, why mess with success? Rascal Flatts nearly acknowledges as much with the title to their 2007 follow-up to Me and My Gang, Still Feels Good. After all, if the formula ain't broken, why bother messing with it? And the band doesn't mess with it at all, unless the very vague rap of "Bob That Head" -- more Toby Keith's "Let's Talk About Us" than Cowboy Troy -- could be counted, for even the Jamie Foxx cameo on "She Goes All the Way" slides by relatively unnoticed. Foxx's inexplicable presence is the most overt signal that Still Feels Good is more pop than country, a criticism leveled against Rascal Flatts for some time now, and one they keep shrugging off because they do adult pop quite well. They continue to do this easy, smooth sound well, but increasingly they're doing it without distinction. Everything on Still Feels Good sounds fine -- the uptempo tunes are bouncy without being sprightly, the ballads are sweet without being too sappy -- but few songs jump out and grab attention. The first single, "Take Me There," is a gently pulsating pop tune, "Here" has a surging chorus ideal for both arenas and offices, "No Reins" vaguely sounds like Pat Benatar's "Shadows of the Night," "Bob That Head" rocks the party mildly, "Help Me Remember" is a textbook power ballad, while "It's Not Supposed to Go Like That" reveals a semblance of a social conscious. All of these ever so slightly stand out from the rest, but they also all settle into a soft mosaic of smooth pop that is as soothing as a warm bath. It's something that may be cozy, but it's not quite memorable, but based on the album's relentlessly relaxing vibe, Rascal Flatts isn't all that concerned about being anything more than easygoing guys next door. In other words, they're once again the most normal stars in either country or pop, but Still Feels Good suggests that there's not only a fine line between ordinary and dull, but that the group is on the verge of crossing it. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Ever since their eponymous 2000 debut there has been more pop than country in Rascal Flatts' contemporary country-pop, but with each subsequent record the trio has been drifting slowly, steadily toward outright adult pop, which is where they arrive on their fourth album, 2006's Me and My Gang. Discounting the steel guitar that's used occasionally as tonal coloring, the most country song here is the jokey "Backwards," which blatantly (and proudly) recycles the old joke of "what happens when you play a country record backwards?" (the punch line is "Ya get your house back/Ya get your dog back," etc. -- although it is a little strange that in this version ya get your best friend Jack back before your wife). This isn't a complaint, just a matter of fact: while some country-pop does place equal emphasis on country, Rascal Flatts makes pop music for mature audiences under the guise of country, partially because pop music doesn't have much room for adults anymore. Not that Rascal Flatts are always serious -- there's the aforementioned "Backwards," but also the silly title track where the boys try to domesticate Big & Rich's outsized swagger by simplifying it, singing "la la la" on the bridge and throwing in a talk box guitar stolen from Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" -- but they do not make any concessions to sounding young, which does make them kind of unique among mainstream groups of any kind in 2006. Furthermore, Rascal Flatts are good at this kind of thing: they choose their material well, pick the right musicians and producers, and turn out appealing slick music that sounds good even when the songs themselves are kind of forgettable. And there are some forgettable tunes here, too -- there are also those that are memorable in their mawkishness, like "Ellsworth," which attempts to create a portrait a grandma losing her mind but is undone by its clunky heavy-handedness ("Grandma burned the biscuits/Nearly took the house down with it/Now she's in assisted livin'/We all knew that day would come") -- but as a whole, Me and My Gang holds together well, since the slower moments glide by on the same smooth, glistening surface as the tunes that catch hold, like the single "What Hurts Most." There are no great surprises here -- well, apart from the vague reggae rhythm that fuels "Yes I Do" -- but there are no disappointments, either. Rascal Flatts continue to deliver exactly what their fans have come to love and expect, and that's a virtue, since it is hard for pop groups of any stripe to be both consistent and reliable, which is exactly what the trio proves they are with this solid-as-a-rock fourth album. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Rascal Flatts are such nice guys that it's hard not to find their music rather endearing, even if it's drifting ever further toward the middle of the road. On their debut -- highlighted by their breakthrough hit single "Prayin' for Daylight," a cheerful, infectiously low-key country-pop tune that remains their best moment -- there was a hint of a looseness to their performances, a suggestion that for as tasteful as the band was, they weren't too reserved. Bit by bit, that looseness has been refined, and the group has unapologetically wound up in the middle of the road by the time of their third album, 2004's Feels Like Today. Since they always traveled close to the center, this isn't a huge change, but it is noticeable one, because the tempos don't change as much, the dynamics are muted, and the album consists almost entirely of ballads. There isn't anything as effervescent as "Prayin' for Daylight," then, nor is there anything that's truly memorable as a single, but the guys sure are likeable, even when they're singing unabashedly formulaic adult pop music that has only a hint of country to it. And that likability goes a long way, making Feels Like Today a good, relaxing listen, even if it's a shade closer to background music than it needs to be. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Gary LeVox has amazing vocal ability unsurpassed by any other male country singer heard on the charts today. That's why the best songs from Melt are the ballads -- he sings them with such a fiery zeal that you can't help but be transfixed by the titanic sound coming out of the speakers. But that certainly doesn't mean that the up-tempo and quicker songs aren't worth listening to. In fact, the whole 11-song collection is worth listening to over and over. A platinum-selling debut album with a follow-up sophomore album that's as brilliant as the first -- if not more so -- doesn't happen all that often in an industry subject to dozens of newcomers a minute. Their harmonies are musically superior and their songwriting efforts continue to be original and fresh. Rascal Flatts is a band that deserves more than its due. ~ Maria Konicki Dinoia, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Rascal Flatts are three average, nice guys. They make contemporary country-pop that's nice, but ever so slightly and satisfyingly a cut above average. Nothing on their eponymous debut deviates from the norm -- it's squarely down the center of the mainstream, edging closer to pop than it does to real country -- but it's sweetly endearing and unassuming. Take the lead song and single, "Prayin' for Daylight," for example. It's almost defiantly square, but the trio doesn't ever realize that it's not hip to be square -- the very quality that makes it so much fun. They revel in their warm harmonies, bright production, catchy mid-tempo pop tunes, and ballads of heartbreak and love that always seem happy. Rascal Flatts never really changes their approach at any point during the album -- many of the zippier songs sound a lot like "Prayin' for Daylight" and the slower numbers are just slower variations of that tune -- but that doesn't matter, since this is an amiable, well-crafted, professional record. Are there some slow moments? Well, yes, but they pass by easily, thanks to the surface gloss and the boys' cheerful attitude. Rascal Flatts may not be weighty, but it's not supposed to be. It's designed to be a sunny, pleasing modern country-pop album, and that's exactly what it is. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
