Jason Aldean Wants His Music To Speak For Itself
You're probably used to hearing artists who are eager to set their latest albums apart from their previous work speak of breaking free from formula, the idea being that they've grown dissatisfied with strictures imposed on their music-making. But not everyone shares that philosophy.
Take country superstar Jason Aldean, familiar even to non-country followers because of his performances on the Grammys and Saturday Night Live, the latter one of his first public gestures after his set at the Route 91 Harvest festival turned into a massacre. Over the last dozen-or-so years, the Georgia native has built his relationship with his massive audience on delivering consistency on virtually every front, from his gruff and tough persona to his amped-up, arena-rocking concerts and formula-guided albums.
"I want a project that will take [listeners] on a journey, if they want to party, if they're going through a breakup, or if they're in love," he tells NPR, taking occasional puffs from an e-cigarette, legs crossed in a rolling chair parked next to a mixing console. "But other than that, man, there's not too much hidden."
By this point in his career, closing in on the release of his eighth album, , Aldean is well aware that music critics tend to scour new music
