Album: Still Feels Good /  Artist: Rascal Flatts /  13 tracks /  September 25, 2007/  Lyric Street

Rascal Flatts’ title track from their new album Still Feels Good, is a big-time crush song about boy meets girl, boy wants to find out more about girl, boy is over the top about girl, and tells her he wants to be her main squeeze. The song penned by Kenny Chesney, Wendell Mobley and Neil Thrasher was destined for greatness almost before the ink dried on the lyric sheets. Throw in the fabulous signature vocals of Gary LeVox, Rascal Flatts’ lead singer and you just know you have a winning tune, which immediately grabs you by your woofer and tweeters. Joe Don Rooney and Dann Huff’s electric guitars drive this song, and they are complimented by the sound of Dan Dugmore on steel guitar.

The trio (LeVox, Rooney and Jay DeMarcus) are unquestionably the most prolific music act on the scene today. In 2006, their records sold more than any other artist or group in any genre of music. Since they first appeared on the music scene in 1999 Rascal Flatts has garnered Grammy Awards, nine # 1 songs and seventeen top ten tunes. It is estimated that in 2006, one out of every fourteen country music albums sold was a Rascal Flatts CD.

With the unveiling of their sixth album Still Feels Good, the trio continues to ride the wave of success that saw two of their previous albums go double platinum, and two others reach quadruple platinum status. The country pop love song, “Take Me There,” hit # 1 on Billboard’s Country charts, and during the second week of October was still riding high in the # 2 spot, after being on the charts for thirteen weeks.  It is the kind of song to make a woman’s heart swoon. Lyrically and emotively, LeVox embodies what every man wants to express once he has met the woman with whom he wants to spend his life.

“Here,” might be considered the companion tune to “Take Me There,” as the singer chronicles his quest for love and the song culminates with the realization that she was there all the time right in front of him.

If you have ever been through a relationship where the other person fell out of love with you, then you will relive some heart wrenching moments as LeVox sings, “Have you ever loved someone / That just don’t feel the same / Tryin’ to make somebody care for you / The way I do / Is like tryin’ to catch the rain.”  This is an old time country hurtin’ song, made even more authentic by the backdrop of Jay Demarcus’ bass and the twang of Dugmore’s steel guitar. For those who like to dance this would be a slow two-step.

If you are looking for something a little more down home, then the third track “Bob That Head,” should appeal to you, as Dann Huff works his magic on the banjo and Jonathan Yodkins plays a fine fiddle.

Although you may not be able to identify with the exact set of circumstances depicted in the song “It’s Not Supposed To Go Like That,” you may want to take some steps to prepare yourself prior to listening to this riveting song, if you have lost a child, as I did a few years ago. The words to this song pose tough questions, often unanswered, and in some respects serve as a commentary on issues such as gun control, drinking and driving.

In the liner notes in large bold, uppercase letters that you are not meant to miss, is a message from Rascal Flatts, “This album is dedicated to all the men and women who have laid down their lives in the line of duty to defend the freedoms that we all enjoy every day…It’s not supposed to go like that.”

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Reviewed October 2007