Lucky Ones (CD - 2004)

Personnel: Pat Green (vocals, acoustic guitar); Jondan McBride (acoustic guitar, mandolin); David Neuhauser (electric guitar, piano, Hammond b-3 organ); Brett Danaher (electric guitar); Mike Daly (steel guitar); Brendon Anthony (mandolin, violin); Michael Tarabay (bass guitar); Justin Pollard (drums, percussion).

Lucky Ones is Pat Green's third album for a major label, but it's the first one where he truly seems comfortable gunning for the big time. He enlists producer Don Gehman, who produced a few songs on his previous album, 2003's Wave on Wave, for the entire record, and Gehman not only gives Lucky Ones a bright roots rock feel similar to the albums he produced for John Mellencamp, he also enlists drummer Kenny Aronoff and violinist Lisa Germano, both Mellencamp vets, for a few tracks. These two, along with a few other session musicians, mix seamlessly with Green's seven-piece backing band, giving the album a consistent sound -- and that sound is big and shiny, part contemporary country, part heartland rock, all polished and designed for a wide audience. The ballads never get too maudlin, the up-tempo numbers never rock too hard. All the songs are about love and good times, whether it's about how it's good to be home or sitting around with Brad Paisley and reminiscing about college. It's all bright and tuneful, closer to the mainstream Midwest rock of the '80s than contemporary country, but that's part of its appeal -- it's well-crafted, highly polished, anthemic roots rock that appeals to the heart of America. While it is true that if you listen hard enough it's possible to hear the formula and the calculation behind Green's amalgam of country and MOR rock, there's no denying that at its best it's hard to resist, and there's also no denying that Lucky Ones finds the singer at his best. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Though it's a method of divination that wouldn't work with some artists' records, sneaking a peek at the songwriting credits on Pat Green's LUCKY ONES is in fact a fairly accurate way of triangulating the musical influences at work here. Though Green handles a good deal of the compositional chores himself, he's joined on some tracks by other writers, including Matchbox Twenty's Rob Thomas, old-school country outlaw Ray Wylie Hubbard, and new-school country outlaw Jack Ingram. Accordingly, LUCKY ONES boasts a dash of Willie-and-Waylon-style rebelliousness, a touch of radio-primed pop-rock, and bit of rough-and-ready alt-country. Though his sound is quite accessible, Green is no prefabricated product either; you'll find nary a familiar Nashville session-cat name amongst the personnel here. LUCKY ONES is performed strictly by Green and his road band, ably mixing pop, rock, and country. With production by Don Gehman of John Mellencamp/Hootie & the Blowfish fame, the stage is set for heartland music with appeal that transcends stylistic borders. minimize