Rodney Atkins – It’s America Review

Posted by Cody Dalton on 05.10.2009

A CD that offers storytelling and nice rhythm, but how did it stack up to Atkin's last CD, "If You're Going Through Hell"?

It was nearly two years ago that I watched Rodney Atkins in concert, as he was finishing up the promotion of his second album, "If You’re Going Through Hell". The man put on an amazing performance for the fans at our small county fair. I was thankful for the time and so was my brother, who is handicapped.

After the show, I was able to meet with Rodney and my brother was given the chance to take a picture with the man. For that, I am grateful. Nearly two years after this even, Rodney has released his third album, “It’s America”. The album’s self-titled debut single, which was release on November 24, 2008, has reached the Billboard’s #1 Country single already.

The album has also reached the #3 spot of Top U.S. Country Albums and #15 overall in the U.S. in all genres. It doesn’t yet compare to If You’re Going Through Hell, but still is a successful album.



Track Listing
1. "Tell a Country Boy" (3:31)
2. "Chasin' Girls" (3:29)
3. "Got It Good" (3:33)
4. "Best Things" (2:55)
5. "Friends with Tractors" (3:31)
6. "15 Minutes" (2:39)
7. "Simple Things" (3:18)
8. "It's America" (3:31)
9. "Rockin' of the Cradle" (3:28)
10. "When It's My Time" (3:35)
11. "The River Just Knows" (3:39)

"The River Just Knows" is a creative song that talks about the experiences of going fishing extremely early. From the river, we hit “When It’s My Time”, which is a moderate paced song that talks about the thoughts going through Rodney’s head for when he dies. It’s a nice upbeat song to start off the album. It’s followed up by another song of reflection “Rockin’ the Cradle”, which describes his life from a young infant all the way until death.

Track three is the before mentioned “It’s America”, which describes his love for his country in his own unique way. “Simple Things” is a track that listeners will be able to enjoy, as Atkins reminisces about the good, yet effortless things that he sees in his life. We go from the “Simple Things” to a comical song in “Fifteen Minutes”, where Atkins discusses one of his friends getting rid of the fun, yet dangerous things in his life. The song will be the second featured single from the album.

“Friends with Tractors” talks about Rodney’s way of life and his countrified lifestyle, as well as his friends, who sport John Deere tractors. “Best Things” is a lot similar to “Simple Things”, as it discusses the loves that most men have in their lives.

The beginning of the CD has three unique tracks. “Good Times” talks about all of the good found in Atkin’s life. “Chasin’ Girls” is pretty much self explanatory. It’s a fun song that talks about Atkin’s former love interests. Finally, “Tell A Country Boy” looks at the life of a southern man and some of the problems or situations he might encounter during his life.

Overall, I feel that the CD starts off strong and ends well. I have somewhat of a problem with the arrangement of tracks, as Atkins starts off strong, but finishes weak. That isn't the fault of Atkins though. His storytelling ability within a song is incredibly and I enjoyed listening to every line in this CD. After listening to both "It's America" and "If You're Going Through Hell", both CDs are great, but I'd give the slight edge to "It's America".

The 411: Atkins second CD is a definite buy. There is a unique balance between the comical and fun songs along with the serious and dramatic songs. The way the songs are used to tell a story truly makes him one of the best out there. The order of the tracks helps the listener to enjoy the experience from the first track to the last. The only compliant I have is the lack of originality in the topics. It seems Atkins repeats himself in some of the songs. However, that does not distract from a great CD. While country music is not my favorite type of music, this CD was an enjoyable experience and a definite must buy for any fan of music out there.

Final Score:  7.8   [ Good ]