In many ways, Big Kenny [1] and John Rich [2]-who make up country duo Big & Rich [3]-are the perfect couple. But Big Kenny's new album, "The Quiet Times of a Rock and Roll Farm Boy," is a thoughtful, often profound sojourn into musical independence-his former major label reportedly rejected every solo project he turned in. That frustration led to the defiant "Free Like Me," which warns, "Don't fit me inside your expectations/You'll never know everything I can be." Big Kenny's musical kinship with Rich is evident on "Wake Up," in which the singer demonstrates moving poetry and surprisingly head-turning lead vocals. The lead single, "Long After I'm Gone," is a midtempo stop-and-smell-the-roses anthem, while "To Find a Heart" may well be the album's sleeper hit. Sonically, "Farm Boy" puts the artist's influences on intriguing display (he cites Merle Haggard [4], Willie Nelson [5], the Beatles [6], Queen [7], Bob Marley [8] and Bill Withers [9], among others), yet manages the often elusive feat of a cohesive, articulate and entertaining experience from first note to last. --Wade Jessen