New traditionalist’s first two albums in one package

Sony BMG’s Legacy division has created a two-fer series titled “x2” (“times two”) that bundles pairs of previously released CDs into a slipcase at a discount price. Neither album is changed from its original release, so these aren’t meant to attract an artist’s long-time fans, but by focusing on catalog perennials (e.g., Boston’s first two albums), or the early works of artists who found greater acclaim mid-catalog, they provide newer fans a quick way to catch up. In Paisley’s case Legacy’s put together his first two albums, 1999’s Who Needs Pictures and 2001’s Part II, giving those who latched onto his work with the breakthroughs of Mud on the Tires and Time Well Wasted an opportunity to see how he got there. What you’ll find is that from the start Paisley was a matinee idol with a new traditionalist’s ear, and the two-year arc of these initial albums show just how quickly he capitalized on his writing, singing and guitar playing gifts.

Paisley’s debut features a dozen originals and a cover of the traditional “In the Garden,” with generous doses of two-step beats, fiddle and Paisley’s twangy guitar. There’s no forgetting this is a Nashville recording, as producer Frank Rogers gives everything a tight polish, but Paisley’s unabashedly country with his vocals and heart-plucking lyrics. The album produced two chart-topping singles, the touching tribute to step-fathers, “He Didn’t Have to Be” and the serendipitous love song “We Danced.” Album tracks include the boot-scooting “Me Neither,” western swing “It Never Woulda Worked Out Anyway,” Mexicali-flavored “I’ve Been Better,” two-stepping “Sleepin’ on the Foldout,” and the hot-picked instrumental “The Nervous Breakdown.” Paisley’s lyrics split time between emotion and humor, but his earnest delivery keeps things from descending into treacle or country corn.

The sophomore release, Part II, was dead on in its title, as it continued all the elements of Paisley’s debut. Among the most noticeable changes are the inclusion of two covers: Darrell Scott’s harrowing tale of an Appalachian mining town “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive” (covered to even greater effect the same year by Patty Loveless on her back-the-roots Mountain Soul release), and “Too Country,” on which Buck Owens, George Jones and Bill Anderson guest for the latter’s idyllic vision of a simple American life. Paisley’s originals again range from serious to comic, with both digging a bit deeper than on his debut. The chart-topping “I’m Gonna Miss Her” is both funny and home-spun, as an angler weighs another hour on the lake against the impending departure of his mate. The song’s lazy beat provides a perfect complement to the fisherman’s half-hearted contemplation of shortening his trip. The upbeat fiddle-and-steel tune “All You Really Need is Love” is comic in its catalog of a wedding’s endless expenses, but there’s a great deal of painful truth here for anyone who’s put together (or paid for) a wedding. The album’s other three hit singles include the heartbroken letting-go ballad “I Wish You’d Stay,” the philosophical interconnectedness of “Two People Fell in Love,” and the twangy two-step shuffle into marriage and adulthood, “Wrapped Around.”

As on Paisley’s debut, there’s a barn-burning instrumental, “Munster Rag,” featuring incredible guitar runs, and the album closes, as did the debut, with a traditional tune of faith, the gospel “The Old Rugged Cross,” recorded live with just voice-and-guitar at the Grand Old Opry. Part II is a more sophisticated and deeper album than Paisley’s debut, and paired with its predecessor, fans get a chance to hear the speed with which potential (Paisley’s, his producer’s, his band’s, and his cowriter’s) developed into music that launched a country superstar. If you only know Paisley from his more recent albums, you owe it to yourself to check out the quality of his early works. [©2008 hyperbolium dot com]