Alan Jackson Album: “Drive”

In a career that has produced hit upon hit while maintaining the true spirit of country music, Alan Jackson has recorded his greatest work so far with "Drive". There will inevitably be much focus on the tribute song to the victims of September 11, "Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)", which is included twice on this album, as recorded in the studio and also live at the 2001 CMA Awards. Of the many songs about that terrible day, this one best captures the feelings and emotions that we all experienced after the tragedy struck. Hopefully it will provide some comfort to those most affected.

This is a very strong album. Jackson has consistently recorded excellent country music throughout the 12 years since his first album. Encouragingly, in recent years, his own songwriting and choice of other writers' songs has actually improved upon the high standard of his earlier recordings. His albums, particularly Who I Am, High Mileage, When Somebody Loves You and now Drive, have been entertaining, personal and of the highest quality, matching the best of George Strait's recordings. Strait featues on this album in a duet, "Designated Drinker", which gets better with repeated listening, although its tune will be familiar to anyone who has heard Johnny Paycheck's "Don't Take Her She's All I've Got". Jackson has always displayed a sense of humour in his work and that's well represented here with "I Slipped And Fell In Love" and "Work In Progress". Apart from "Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)", the highlight of the album for me is "First Love", which tells the story of the singer's first car, which he sold, regretted it ("you can't drive a check"), only to be reunited many years later when he receives it as a present. Those of us who love our car will identify with this song.

I strongly recommend this album and predict that, even in January, we already have the country music album of the year.

This is by far the best album that Alan Jackson has released, his voice and lyrics are at an all time high. September 11th touched the entire world, as evident in the lyrics in Jackson's "Where Were You." Take a simple line in the song, "in a crowded room did you feel alone, did you call up your mother and tell her you loved her, did you dust off your bible at home?" I think that every american can relate to at least one line in this song, that he did on that horrible day.

The rest of the CD is full of upbeat, pure "classic country" that gets you going. In the ever changing field of country music where most country musicians are really pop singers, Jackson remains true to his heart, and his fans with pure country music. This CD is a MUST for any AJ fan, as well as any country music fan.

While most artists seem to be leaving tradtional country behind one thing is for sure Alan hasn't.

This is one of the best albums Alan has done. He writes with such style. He puts his heart and soul into most of the songs he writes. I think of him as a modren day Hank Williams SR. The title cut "Drive" is from the heart and a great tribute to his late father. In a radio interview he said he didn't want to write the usual sad tribute song because most of his memories he has are happy. There are 2 cuts of Where Were You the studio and the live one. I do hear a bit more emotion in the live cut. "Bring On The Night" talks about the hard day spent at work then coming home to the love of his life. "First Love" is about his love for his first car "an older woman" "The Sounds" is a well written tune about a woman leaving her man and he doesn't like what he is hearing. I will say one thing about this cd don't drive to get it Speed all the way.

Classic Country Fan

Can we all say "crossover artist of the year" five times quickly? Like many others, I was familiar with Alan Jackson because of his videos on the country music TV stations, but I was stopped dead in my tracks when I first saw and heard him perform the "Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)?" song at the Country Music Award fandango. Needless to say, he captured better than anyone could expect anyone to do the range of emotions and reactions that ran through all of our minds last fall, and he articulated the mood of the country and the change on personal outlooks so well that I knew this song had all the juice he needed to make him a crossover star.

His music is deceptively simple, and his lyrics speak to ordinary experiences and everyday people. In this sense he rides down the main thoroughfare of popular country music exceedingly comfortably, a kind of raggedy redneck with a poet's gift for describing the world he sees around him. In the title song, he writes with loving remembrance of his father, who trusted his son enough to teach him how to "Drive" boats, trucks, but his own young life. In the final few scenes of the song's video we see Jackson lovingly carrying on the tradition with his daughters behind the wheel of a beat-up old jeep. This is an artist with legs.

He sings songs that are wistful but hopeful, and shares his take on the experiences he had and the way he feels, and one gets the idea he has been around the block a time or two. So whether he is testing love's murky waters in "When Love Comes Around" or spooning the gentler sex's dogged persistence on trying to change their men in the funny and wry "Work In Progress" Jackson seems straight-forward, open, and quite inventive. He sings of simple virtues, extraordinary experiences, and common pitfalls with equal parts joy, humor, and pathos, and crowns it all off with the unbelievable good delivery of his personal take on the world we have to deal with in "Where Were You". This is an album to have, to start one's collection of an artist who is going to be a major force in both country music and in the popular venues as well. Enjoy!

This cd can simply be defined by the one great song...and that is 100% Awesome!!! Lets start off on the first track, "Drive(For Daddy Gene). Alan sings about his early memories on his dad's boat, driving his first car and the joy of watching his own girl's drive his jeep. Beauifully done!!! Tracks 2 and 3 are very mellow numbers, great in style, but too early on the cd. The rockin' starts on track #4. Track #5 is a return to the mellow side for very nice melody which may very well be the next single. Track #6 is a very catchy tune called, "Designated Drinker", which is a duet with George Strait. Awesome! Track #7 is the studio release of the song that could and should earn song of the year, "Where Were You(When The World Stopped Turnin), written, recorded and finally debut on the 35th Annual CMA Awards. The live track from the awards is on track #13 as a bonus track, with the full feel of the introduction, song and crowd cheers. Track #8 is a trip to some old country fiddling. Track #9 is the last slow tune on the cd. Tracks 10-12 are just some goold ole' fashioned country. ...and finally track #13...the live CMA track of , "Where Were You". You must buy this cd if you haven't already, and if you have bought it then buy another one for someone that can't afford such luxories as a great cd that can help us all through the evnts of September 11th 2001. God Bless You Alan Jackson!!