Rascal Flatts (CD - 2000)

Additional personnel: Larry Beaird (acoustic guitar); Brent Mason, Dann Huff, George Marinelli, Jr. (electric guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Jonathan Yudkin (mandolin, violin, fiddle, viola, cello); Tim Akers, Brian Siewert (keyboards); Jay DeMarcus, Joey Chemay (bass); Lonnie Wilson (drums).

Engineers: Marty Williams, Christopher Rowe.

Personnel: Paul Franklin (guitar); Larry Beaird (acoustic guitar); Dann Huff, George Marinelli Jr., Brent Mason (electric guitar); Jonathan Yudkin (mandolin, violin, fiddle, viola, cello); Tim Akers (keyboards); Lonnie Wilson (drums).

Audio Mixers: John Guess; Marty Williams.

Recording information: The Tracking room; Work Station.

Photographer: Russ Harrington.

Unknown Contributor Roles: Gary LeVox; Joe Don Rooney.

Rascal Flatts are three average, nice guys. They make contemporary country-pop that's nice, but ever so slightly and satisfyingly a cut above average. Nothing on their eponymous debut deviates from the norm -- it's squarely down the center of the mainstream, edging closer to pop than it does to real country -- but it's sweetly endearing and unassuming. Take the lead song and single, "Prayin' for Daylight," for example. It's almost defiantly square, but the trio doesn't ever realize that it's not hip to be square -- the very quality that makes it so much fun. They revel in their warm harmonies, bright production, catchy mid-tempo pop tunes, and ballads of heartbreak and love that always seem happy. Rascal Flatts never really changes their approach at any point during the album -- many of the zippier songs sound a lot like "Prayin' for Daylight" and the slower numbers are just slower variations of that tune -- but that doesn't matter, since this is an amiable, well-crafted, professional record. Are there some slow moments? Well, yes, but they pass by easily, thanks to the surface gloss and the boys' cheerful attitude. Rascal Flatts may not be weighty, but it's not supposed to be. It's designed to be a sunny, pleasing modern country-pop album, and that's exactly what it is. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

In 1999, Lyric Street Records introduced SHEDAISY, a female trio made up of sisters with great vocal harmonies. Rascal Flatts are Lyric Street's logical follow-up: a male trio made up (partly) of cousins, with, yes, great vocal harmonies. These harmonies are what make the group's self-titled debut CD stand out in a sea of cookie-cutter country.

The songs themselves, with a few exceptions, are standard country fare about love and relationships, but Rascal Flatts' sparkling vocal parts and some unexpected instrumental arrangements make them shine. The jaunty fiddle intro and the stacked harmonies on the lead track, "Prayin' For Daylight," make for an irresistible combination, while "Some Say" is so breezy and light that it sounds like summer feels. The grooving percussion and startling vocal breakdown towards the end of "This Everyday Love" turns a good song into a great one. Other highlights include the gospel-ish, bluegrass-tinged "One Good Love," the lovely "Long, Slow Beautiful Dance" and the heartbreaking "I'm Movin' On." RASCAL FLATTS displays that Jay DeMarcus, Gary LeVox and Joe Don Rooney can ably fill that vacant "male country vocal trio" slot...and then some. minimize