Jason Aldean
Jul 11, 2011
Since his 2005 debut with the scorching "Hicktown," Jason Aldean has set himself apart from the pack as a truly unique artist. He addresses his Georgia-born brand of country music with a singular vision, and he intends to keep it that way.
With his album "My Kinda Party", the Academy of Country Music's former Top New Male Vocalist further cements his uniqueness with a robust 15-track project that builds on his personal past while covering new territory. The first single of the same name as the album, fit very quickly into the jacked-up portion of his concert set list, which already boasts "She's Country," "Crazy Town" and "Johnny Cash." But there's other stylistic landscape to explore, too,his first full-fledged duet, with big-voiced pop singer Kelly Clarkson; and an almost rap segment in "Dirt Road Anthem" that suggests Aldean has listened to a little Snoop Dogg in his time.
That might come as a shock to non-country observers who think the genre belongs in its own self-imposed hay-bale 'hood, but Aldean gets around musically. He was the first country artist of any significance to incorporate Guns N' Roses medleys into his live show.
That same level of uniqueness is exactly what Aldean was looking for when he approached Clarkson as a duet partner on their new to Pop radio single, "Don't You Wanna Stay."
"Kelly has such a distinct voice," he observes. "She's got the most soulful voice there is right now. As soon as she opened her mouth and started singing in the studio, it was like, 'That is what this song is supposed to sound like!'"
The one-of-a-kind sound Clarkson brought to "Don't You Wanna Stay" is representative of Aldean's own artistry throughout "My Kinda Party". There's a cultural familiarity to the themes and the influences, but in practice, there's not another act who sounds quite like Jason Aldean.
"That's what it's all about," he shrugs, "knowing what it is that sets you apart from everybody else."
