Typically, when a successful, mainstream artist has a dozen full-length albums to their name, it’s the mark of a long, generationally impressive career. It would be fair to assume that an artist with that kind of longevity made a lasting, perhaps even unparalleled impression on their chosen genre. Jason Aldean is one of the few artists who’s released 12 LPs, each with at least one #1 radio single, but has always been eluded by this kind of prestige. It’s honestly surprising, even though defying expectations has never really been Aldean’s thing.
The Georgia native’s twelfth studio album Highway Desperado should leave many wondering all over again exactly what’s keeping him coming back to make another new record. Collaborating yet again with longtime producer Michael Knox on the fourteen-track LP, listeners can expect to hear the same recycled tracks about break-ups, heartache, and drinking as seen throughout Aldean’s last decade of music. In other words, this record is another shameless repackaging of the same old Aldean music.
Right off the bat, we check off a few must-have Jason Aldean tropes; the unexpected summer smash “Try That In A Small Town” contrasts a dark perspective of the inner-city to rugged, small-town lifestyles. It’s just the latest in a long-running tradition of Aldean songs about towns, including “Crazy Town,” “Hick Town,” “Rearview Town,” “This Nothin’ Town,” and “Tattoos On This Town,” to name a few.
From there, listeners are treated to a string of oddball breakup songs; “Whiskey Drink” sees our narrator drinking to get an ex off his mind. Similarly, “Changing Bars” has Aldean giving listeners some goofy advice that changing bars isn’t going to get their minds off their exes. You would think that with a wealth of singles about these same topics scattered across his discography, he might favor something more befitting of his standing as a member of country music’s old guard. You know, one of those profound songs about growing up that are en vogue these days, like “Buy Dirt” or “Thought You Should Know.” But unfortunately, growing up just isn’t on Jason Aldean’s mind, and frustrated lamentations about being done wrong by a girl will always be more his speed.
Without much anticipation surrounding this LP’s release, there was some minor intrigue surrounding Aldean’s writing credits on Highway Desperado. Alas, on an album that needed a few twists and turns, these co-writes don’t really have that personal flair that you look for when an artist is penning their own stuff. The massive black hole of relatability that is “Hungover In A Hotel” has Aldean singing about drinking too much and ending up wasted in a hotel room without explaining why. After listening to the last decade-plus of Jason Aldean music, no one should be disappointed. Still, for many, writing some of his own music might have been a last, desperate hope for him to return to peak 2009 form.
All snark aside, Highway Desperado‘s monotony is almost a little sad. For years, we’ve watched the creative lifeblood slowly drain from Aldean and his collaborators one flat, butt-rock album at a time. For a self-described country music artist who regularly declares how important his pride and independence are, mass-producing uninspired albums like Highway Desperado less than two years at a time is a sad legacy indeed.
3.0/10
