People in Jason Aldean‘s camp have been hinting for months that he’s a new man, after a highly publicized divorce and his relationship with former American Idol contestant Brittany Kerr (who he was photographed kissing while still married). Aldean recently told Billboard it’s time to let go of that story, but it’s a sure bet fans will see all sorts of messages in Old Boots, New Dirt, the first album he has recorded since the changes in his personal life. And he gives them plenty to work with in the project, which leans heavily on broken relationships and new starts while ignoring one of the tent-pole positions of his public persona: a voice for the heartland’s working class.
After all, Aldean’s acerbic, surly character perfectly fits that role. Thanks to earlier songs like “Fly Over States,” which celebrate the classic blue-collar American lifestyle and its values, one could picture him flashing a middle finger at a pin-striped Wall Streeter who gets a thrill out of closing small-town factories or destroying grannies’ pensions. On Old Boots, however, the songs devote little time to sweating for a paycheck. Instead, perspiration is expended in anticipation of steamy sex in the brooding opener, “Just Gettin’ Started”; in the nude tangle of the EDM-tinged first single, “Burnin’ It Down”; and in the three-day bender and subsequent regret of the album’s closer, “Two Night Town.”
The subject matter switch works for Aldean, particularly because of his voice, one of country’s most identifiable — and underrated. Particularly noteworthy is his delivery on “Too Fast,” where Aldean weaves a mix of ferocity, desperation and resolve into a song about frustration with previous choices: “I been making a living/Not making a life.” It’s easy to believe that his makeover offstage inspired this performance in the studio. His mangled Georgian enunciations sound like no one else, and there’s a fire in his throat that’s often masked by the high-volume instrumental framework that usually surrounds him.
To that end, guitarist Kurt Allison has several tight, twisting solos. And drummer Rich Redmond is a powerhouse, particularly on the midtempo “Tonight Looked Good On You,” where the sparse arrangement’s solid power chords allow his slamming toms and crisp cymbal work to figuratively move him from the back of the stage to right next to the frontman.
Aldean was shut out on the final ballot for the Country Music Association Awards, a surprise given his status as a stadium headliner. But oddly enough, Old Boots doesn’t offer a whole lot that feels like it belongs on that stadium stage. It’s inward-looking midtempo music, devoted to expressing what’s going on in Aldean’s life — a notable turn for a guy who has more often been a cultural touchstone for young, middle-American workers.