After the lethargic hubris of Rascal Flatts’ sixth album Unstoppable it seemed like the friendly trio had settled into a carefully calculated rut so it’s good to hear that switching labels for 2010’s Nothing Like This has revived the band considerably. Nothing Like This doesn’t offer anything new - if ever there was a band adverse to risk, it’s Rascal Flatts who have never strayed from the sunny sound of their 2000 debut - but everything from the melodies to the very sound of the tight 11-track record seems brighter than the trio’s last few records. Certainly, Rascal Flatts have made a conscious decision to not drift toward sleepiness, injecting a high number of propulsive tunes into the body of the record. Several of these have the echoing pulse of an arena - the opening “Why Wait,” “All Night To Get There” - but they also ride “Red Camero” on chords reminiscent of “Life Is A Highway,” jauntily skip through “Play” and take “Tonight Tonight” to the verge of rock & roll. Naturally, they haven’t abandoned ballads, going so far as to enlist Natasha Bedingfield for a questionable stab at pop radio crossover, but the emphasis isn’t these slow, swaying numbers, the album is all about balance, all about executing the usual with precision. It’s a fresh coat of paint on a sturdy old house.
After the lethargic hubris of Rascal Flatts’ sixth album Unstoppable it seemed like the friendly trio had settled into a carefully calculated rut so it’s good to hear that switching labels for 2010’s Nothing Like This has revived the band considerably. Nothing Like This doesn’t offer anything new - if ever there was a band adverse to risk, it’s Rascal Flatts who have never strayed from the sunny sound of their 2000 debut - but everything from the melodies to the very sound of the tight 11-track record seems brighter than the trio’s last few records. Certainly, Rascal Flatts have made a conscious decision to not drift toward sleepiness, injecting a high number of propulsive tunes into the body of the record. Several of these have the echoing pulse of an arena - the opening “Why Wait,” “All Night To Get There” - but they also ride “Red Camero” on chords reminiscent of “Life Is A Highway,” jauntily skip through “Play” and take “Tonight Tonight” to the verge of rock & roll. Naturally, they haven’t abandoned ballads, going so far as to enlist Natasha Bedingfield for a questionable stab at pop radio crossover, but the emphasis isn’t these slow, swaying numbers, the album is all about balance, all about executing the usual with precision. It’s a fresh coat of paint on a sturdy old house.
false
2025-10-04 00:12:14
Nothing Like This
2010
2010-11-16
2010-11-16
42
Country
111509
2113080
5b5a1a1b-a630-42dc-b8b2-d879bc2295e2
6e0ae159-8449-4262-bba5-18ec87fa529f
beb9b5b3-56a9-415d-b061-563e6bfc235b
/media/data/media2/Music/Rascal Flatts/Nothing Like This/folder.jpg
Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts