Rascal Flatts Albums

Country music has evolved into a format that both surpasses but doesn't forget to embrace loss and love, and this is evident in these Rascal Flatts albums. Diehard genre bands could happily still sing about their woman or man running off and their dog stealing their beer, but this band juggles the real world losses and joys without losing their own balance. Enjoy Rascal Flatts for what they were, what they are and what they might become as they pass the time with their audience.

1. "Rascal Flatts". With a scaled back feel, Rascal Flatts delivers an album that pays homage to the country genre past as well as carving their own place in country's future. Some voices lend themselves to specific types of music, gravelly screamers tend to end up in rock and metal while those with a bit of a twang end up in country. Gary LeVox's vocals have that timbre that feels like you're walking the fence line of a big farm. There are no over produced numbers here, instead the band chooses to show off their voices and instruments and avoid the pit falls of auto-tune and Pro Tools tweaking. "Rascal Flatts" is a simple album that doesn't need to be complex to get its message of love, loss and life across.
2. "Feels Like Today". An album that lands nicely with the trio finding their comfort zone and, for the moment, not trying to stretch too far. Taking the idea that if nothing's broken why attempt to over think it, Rascal Flatts lets "Feels Like Today" grow on its own without any external forces pushing it any particular way. No jarring fusion of various genres can be found in this album. It's unrepentant country music because there's no need to repent if what you're creating is exactly what you were trying to make.
3. "Me and My Gang". "Me and My Gang" isn't so much an amalgamation of other genres, but a friendly nod towards the influences of the band. With rock, pop and spiritual melodies making their way into the album, Rascal Flatts again has a range of songs that get to take whatever path the song wants without needing to cram too much of any one influence down the throat of the listener. A perfect starter album to see how a band starts to evolve into something greater than its niche.
4. "Unstoppable". A masterful blending of pop and country occurs in "Unstoppable". With the song "She'd Be California", Rascal Flatts shows they have a firm grasp on pop sensibilities and haven't lost themselves in their soul searching songs to forget about crafting some purely just for fun tracks. The album has the air of a quick rest on a peak that will soon become a plateau to launch their next album from. A nice introspective look at their talents in music and lyrics before Rascal Flatts buckles down and tries even harder when next they hit the studio.
5. "Nothing Like This". Rascal Flatts create a love letter with "Nothing Like This". Effortlessly, the trio keeps the songs equally touching and don't tend to get stuck overly in the sorrows of everyday life. They seem to have fallen back in love with the concept of love and do the emotion serious lip service with the majority of the record. Even with their eye on poppy choruses, they don't turn their backs to their country origins and strengths as they maintain the feel of the country genre with the same care and polish you'd give an heirloom. The past is just as important to this band as the present as they weave their vocals through the roadmap of country and pop without leaving out either.