Love and War
by Brad Paisley
  • Record Label: Arista
  • Release Date: Apr 21, 2017
Metascore
66

Generally favorable reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
Buy Now
Buy on
  1. Rolling Stone
    May 12, 2017
    60
    Per usual, there's filler, none too embarrassing--Paisley's pro enough that even his apparent phone-ins are well-crafted. But over 16 tracks, you can't help but wish that one of country's greatest would shoot consistently higher than easy chuckles and sentimental homilies.
  2. AllMusic
    May 12, 2017
    50
    While there is some appeal in this bright blast of sound, especially when he's in party mode--"One Beer Can" in particular recounts the aftermath of a raucous adolescent bash--it can also seem vaguely desperate, as if he's still clutching a reality that's faded into the past.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 4 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. TheKritikonCo
    May 27, 2017
    6
    John - I wasn't expecting to like this album so much. I've said before that I'm not a big country fan when we reviewed Little Big Town's TheJohn - I wasn't expecting to like this album so much. I've said before that I'm not a big country fan when we reviewed Little Big Town's The Breaker, but this really surprised me. It's the sort of album you could listen to on a sunny day's drive through the countryside with the wind blowing through your hair. It gives off such a chilled, summery vibe. There were a few tracks here and there that were very dull - The Devil Is Alive And Well and Contact High being two of them - but overall I think Love and War is consistently good. There were a lot of laugh out loud moments, many of which were in selfie#theinternetisforever (an excellent satirical look at today's society) - this guy has a fantastic sense of humour! Lyrically strong, and musically mostly varied and fresh, Love and War is a good effort from Paisley. If you're into country music, you have to have a listen.

    Tilly - I'm a fairly big fan of Brad Paisley, but even I'll admit his albums can drastically vary quality wise. His strong point are songs that take the piss out of things, and there were no way near enough songs on here like that for my liking. One of Paisley's downfalls is that when his songs are bad, they are mind numbingly dull. Love and War thankfully, didn't have too many of those, but they were still present and that stopped it from being a strong country record. However, Heaven South - and it's reprise - One Beer Can, selfie#theinternetisforever and Solar Power Girl were all excellent tracks, and I'll no doubt be playing them on repeat. Not your best Paisley, but still incredibly fun!    … Full Review »
See all user reviews »