Unstoppable, released April 7th

Rascal Flatts know their fan base.  Each CD they release features a painful love ballad, a very country sounding song, and the ones full of morals and life lessons.  Unstoppable, their CD released on April 7th, has proven to be nothing different. It’s as if the trio looks at a formula sheet each time they sit down to work on a new release.  It can be annoying, but I am ok with this.  I absolutely adore Rascal Flatts.  Each time I listen to their CDs I think about the summer.  It’s the perfect beach music, driving music and just what you need when you want to chill out.  

Here Comes Goodbye, the tear-jerking, standard ballad has officially taken over all of the country stations.  I drove to Iowa a couple of weeks ago and put on the country station (duh…I was driving and it was nice out).  I feel confident in saying that I heard that song about 10 times.  The song talks about a break-up, like most sad love songs, between a couple that was destined to be married.  Somehow, they find a way to make it relate to any type of break-up.  It’s almost as if anyone who has gone through the demolition of a relationship (romantic or not) sent in a letter and they fused them all together; the song is relevant to pretty much everyone.  As much as the song touches its listeners, it sounds a bit like What Hurts the Most.  The two of them discussed the end of a relationship, and the horrible feelings that follow.

Click here to see the video and hear the song, Here Comes Goodbye.  Word of advice: grab a Kleenex box.  I wasn’t joking when I said the song itself was a tear jerker, and the link above is for the video.  Don’t get me started on that.

Although the rest of the disc follows the “Rascal Flatts formula to successful discography,” Forever seems to be a bit different from the 10 other tracks that made the cut.  There aren’t any crazy power notes from our good friend Gary, and the other two band members don’t just serve as harmonious counterparts to the lead singer’s insane high notes.  Hooray!  They took a chance and it worked.  Another one is She’d be California.  The vocals and overall sound aren’t that much different, but it is full of complicated guitar riffs, giving it a very country rock vibe, which is something different for the group as they were one of the original country pop stars.

And now the million dollar question.  Is Unstoppable worth buying, or should you grab hold of the new CD through some form of illegal operation?  While the CD is similar to their previous releases, it stands out and is worthy of being bought, rather than downloaded.  Spring is finally starting to come around and you’ll need some good summer driving music.  Also, they’re going to be touring throughout the summer so learning the songs wouldn’t be a bad idea.  Their shows are amazing, so pick up the CD and start memorizing the lyrics.  You have a summer concert to attend.