Me and My Gang
This fourth effort from the soft-rock-masquerading-as-country band Rascal Flatts moved more than 721,000 copies its...
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(11/27/06) This fourth effort from the soft-rock-masquerading-as-country band Rascal Flatts moved more than 721,000 copies its first week out, which let the female-friendly trio rub elbows with some mighty heady company. Only four other country artists (Garth Brooks, Shania Twain, the Dixie Chicks, and Tim McGraw) have rolled out numbers like that, and only 24 other acts total (including Eminem, 50 Cent, U2, and Coldplay). So what's the hook, besides Gary LeVox's wounded tenor and Joe Don Rooney's boy-band face? Clearly, it's the songs. Or it usually is. On Me and My Gang, "What Hurts the Most" is the one that'll end up on a tape loop in your head, though "Yes, I Do" memorably frames romantic yearning and regret with ersatz reggae rhythms, and the sexy "Cool Thing" does a slow burn. The problem? New producer Dann ("King of Excess") Huff bloats too many tunes with screaming, by-the-book guitars and general bombast. And despite his über success with Faith Hill and Keith Urban, Huff has never really...See less
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