Nothing Like This

Rascal Flatts

Big Machine, 2010

http://www.rascalflatts.com

REVIEW BY: Benjamin Ray

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 03/14/2014

The Rascal Flatts formula had started to show signs of wear on Unstoppable, which was the trio's final record with Lyric Street Records. One year later, they signed with the unfortunately titled Big Machine label and offered Nothing Like This.

Perhaps the title is meant to signify a break from tradition, because the listener will immediately notice more of a country influence and less of the overt pop that marked the band's last three records. The lyrics are pretty much exclusively about celebrating love and life while looking back fondly on what was, with only one breakup song in the whole bunch ("Easy," a duet with Natasha Bedingfield). More to the point, there is more of a journeyman groove to the record, an easy band-next-door approach that hasn't been heard since 2004, frankly.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

Those who love the big commercial Rascal Flatts albums (Me And My Gang, Still Feels Good, Unstoppable) may not find much here to like at first, since few concessions are made to pleasing everybody. Those who looked down on the band for those very reasons will be pleasantly surprised at the easygoing nature of Nothing Like This, even if they don't find any lyrics that really speak to them (a strength of previous Flatts albums).

"Sunday Afternoon," co-written by guitarist Joe Don Rooney, is the standout track with its loping rhythm and three-note guitar riff, with the fade-in and out giving the song a disquieting air. "Why Wait" and "Play" are standard neo-country pop, "Nothing Like This" is a fine ballad declaring love and the closing "I Won't Let Go" has probably been used at several dozen weddings...and if not, it should be.

Whether intentional or not, the lyrics seem to concern getting away from it all, such as the journeys taken in "All Night To Get There," "Red Camaro" and the eloping couple in "Why Wait." Not coincidentally, these songs sound pretty good on a road trip. "Summer Young" (which could be the title of every Rascal Flatts song ever) is a loving, detailed look back at the first summer spent with your girlfriend, while "Tonight Tonight," which one would expect to be the usual late-album faux-party-rock embarassment, is actually not half bad at all, particularly during the acoustic breakdown toward the end.

As with every Flatts disc, there are no outright bad songs, but there are a handful of tunes that just don't stick with the listener very long. Some of the lyrical inspiration and vocal harmonies seem to be missing as well, which is to be expected during a new beginning. Nothing Like This may not be the catchiest, most commercial or most meaningful record of the band's career, but it is the most authentic and consistent in a long while, and on that basis it succeeds.

Rating: B

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