Jason Aldean: “Relentless”
Producer: Michael Knox
Broken Bow
Release Date: May 29
Jason Aldean and producer Michael Knox set the bar high on Aldean’s self-titled, platinum 2005 debut. Thankfully, Aldean’s second album delivers as well. “Relentless” will never be confused with a sparse singer/songwriter album — every cut features full, guitar-driven production. The first single, the attitude-laden “Johnny Cash,” is already a hit, sitting at No. 15 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. Other standouts include “My Memory Ain’t What It Used to Be,” which finds the singer wondering aloud why he thought the grass would be greener on the other side, and “Back in This Cigarette,” about trying to rekindle love in a relationship (“It’s like trying to put smoke back in this cigarette”). And with instrumentation reminiscent of “Poor, Poor Pitiful Me,” “I Break Everything I Touch” is a cautionary tale of the singer’s propensity for messing up the important things. –Ken Tucker
