Funny how Brad Paisley, once one of country’s new traditionalists, has turned into its biggest comedian—each album sounds more and more like a collection of Jeff Foxworthy skits, and yet somehow Paisley isn’t crass or craven. No other country singer could get away with a song about checking a girl for ticks without raising the hackles of conservatives, and no other country singer appears to know what the Internet even is, while Paisley cleverly sings about fudging his online persona to get dates. He’s mastered the art of the gentle poke. No one he’s bringing out on this tour has the same gift, though—folkie Jewel has finally realized that her yodeling and plain-spoken arrangements feel at home in Nashville; Julianne Hough is trading in Dancing With the Stars (one of the only things cheesier than Music Row) to be here; and Chuck Wicks is... More >>>