(Photo Courtesy of RCA Nashville)Garth Brooks is back, and it's nearly impossible to tell that the country music superstar hasn’t released a new record in over a decade. Brooks’s latest, “Man Against Machine,” was released Nov. 11, and if it is any indication of what is to come from Brooks, it’s clear that he hit the ground running at full speed with his planned return.
The album exemplifies what country music is all about, bringing back the sound that made Brooks a musical force that would lead him to become the top-selling solo artist in U.S. recording history. There are no real boundary-pushing lyrics, no hick-hop country/rap, just honest country music from a man whose catalog is full of such a thing.
The album opens with the titular track, a blue-collar anthem that tackles today’s raging battle between humans and technology. I get the sense that buried beneath his lyrics about the tale of John Henry, Brooks really comments on the music industry’s over-reliance on technology to bolster the songs it produces.
“People Loving People,” the album’s first single, preaches the notion of loving each other in times of need. It’s a good idea, but one that ultimately falls a bit flat and feels overshadowed by the other songs on the record.
Unlike most of his other albums, Brooks chose songs written by others as the majority of the record’s cuts. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, however, as some tracks such as “Mom,” a song about a conversation between God and an unborn child, are absolutely beautiful. Other tracks, such as “Fish," a reminder why simple things are important, comes to mind immediately, border on the verge of hokey.
Ultimately, this is a Garth Brooks album, and as such, Brooks is most in his element while singing about cowboys and love. Fortunately, the album has several of both. Up-tempo swinger “Rodeo and Juliet” makes for an enjoyable listen while “Cowboys Forever” stands as an anthem for the ideals that cowboys represent. “You Wreck Me” and “She’s Tired of Boys” are both standouts, with Brooks showing outstanding emotional depth on the former and hearkening back to his classic hit “That Summer” on the latter.
While it may not be his best album to date, “Man Against Machine” certainly proves that Brooks hasn’t slowed down despite his time away from the recording studio. While none of the songs may wind up on a future greatest hits record, they do a good enough job to launch a highly anticipated and long-awaited comeback.
Tell the reporter about your "Friends in Low Places" at seweinst@asu.edu or follow @S_Weinstein95 on Twitter.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.
