Comments on: Rascal Flatts, Unstoppable

By: Cory D

Cory D — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:24:45 +0000

They may get some good songs their way, but the vocals they offer as well as the production turns me off completly.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:22:45 +0000

Rascal Flatts is up for 2 CMT Awards! They really need your help so get to voting! In the category of Group Video of the Year, they have 2 videos: “Everyday” and “Bob That Head.” PLEASE ONLY VOTE FOR “EVERYDAY”–we DO NOT want the vote split!! VOTING ENDS FRIDAY!!!

Tell all your friends to vote! Vote with every e-mail address you have!! PLEASE!!

http://www.ccmt.com/cmt-music-awards/vote

By: K

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:41:06 +0000

Thanks for the balanced review. Although I know the Flatts make it all-too-easy for critics to hate them, I still think they deserve a review based on the lyrical content and overall quality of the album. I also agree “Why” is by far the best single on the album, but I also like “Forever” and “She’d Be California.”
I also agree that RF should branch away from Huff- he overproduces the albums and strips them of almost all emotional intensity.

By: dudley

dudley — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:09:19 +0000

As much as I enjoyed Kevin’s pithy A+/F- reviews of Rascal Flatts’ work (and they, along with Dan’s pictorial review of Miley Cyrus’ current single, were incredibly amusing), I’m glad to see someone reviewing Flatts for what they are. I don’t mind LeVox’s…vox when he dials it down (for example, in the first verse of “Here Comes Goodbye”). But I find it downright intolerable when he goes for those big glory notes, as he does far too often on the songs on this album. The obvious studio enhancement of those notes makes me dislike them even more — they are distracting and drain the sincerity out of the songs’ delivery.

“The interesting thing about the Flatts boys, though, is that, as middle-of-the-road as their music may be, you rarely get the feeling they’re compromising their artistry. The music they make seems to be the music they’ve always wanted to make, and they do so with a sincere passion.”

That’s fair, but the sameness of their style and LeVox’s delivery across songs, as well as the repetition in thematic content that you point out, makes it seem like the band has gotten complacent and isn’t trying very hard. That’s off-putting, frankly.

Flatts usually find some pretty solid melodic hooks with which to stock their albums, and Unstoppable is no exception. Several of the hooks seem rather derivative, though. “Close” turns the first half of the first line of the Keith Urban “Once in a Lifetime” chorus into a full hook. “Love Who You Love” cribs a hook from the first lines of the Carrie Underwood “Just a Dream” chorus. The hook of “Forever” actually sounds like a slowed down version of “Close.” And so on.

“Things That Matter” and “Why” strike me as the best-written songs on the album, but I think Flatts overcooks them both. I know that both songs represent Flatts’ idea of a lighter touch, but I don’t think their touch is light enough. LeVox doesn’t modulate his voice well enough and the instrumentation remains a bit too intrusive.

By: BLL

BLL — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 17:01:16 +0000

Very well written review. I won’t be getting this as the lead singer totally turned me off on them when I heard them live well before they had a record deal.

By: Maggie Hassan

Maggie Hassan — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:16:39 +0000

I agree with Andrew. I perfer the old Rascall Flatts. I like some of their more current songs as well, but nothing will ever compare to “I Melt”. I do love how most of their songs are so optimistic and full of life; “My Wish” is perfectly written. :)

Tara, this article is great. I love reading your perspective on something you are so passionate about. I think it’s important to look at artists’ work with an open mind, as you do.

By: Leeann Ward

Leeann Ward — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:29:09 +0000

I even liked them when their first album came out. I’m tellin’ ya! Dann Huff…

By: Matt B

Matt B — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 06:21:38 +0000

Mark Bright certainly worked better w/them than Dann Huff (since Huff’s been the last 3 album’s producer). I think maybe Jay DeMarcus should produce the record w/o any other producer, might get them back to a more ‘steel-laced’ harmony driven sound.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:01:40 +0000

I really wish they would go back to their older, harmony-centered sound. Their first album is still my favorite by far.

By: Tara Seetharam

Tara Seetharam — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 04:23:17 +0000

“Like I Am,” “Long Slow Beautiful Dance,” “While You Loved Me” among others. None are any less pop-country, but I think the sound was a bit more distinct, and the quality of the first three albums just all around better.

Charlie, you may be right. I just want people to be able to listen to this album without holding it up to any sort of standard, whether it be good or bad. That’s the only way you’re going to enjoy music for what it really is!