The Singles Jukebox

But there is an “i” in “controversial”…

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[4.30]

Thomas Inskeep: Goofy, well-meaning, uptempo Paisley is the best Paisley. “We’re all in this together” sentiments don’t always work at this moment in America, re: COVID-19, but this one does for me. Doesn’t hurt that “Beer” features lots of Paisley’s hot licks (he’s a stellar guitarist) and a singalong chorus.
[8]

Alfred Soto: Didn’t Toby Keith record this twaddle already? Upon inspection, no. The artistic decay of one of Nashville’s most charming presences continues. The telltale sign: Failing to summon an insouciance he wore as naturally as his hat, he forces it.
[3]

Will Adams: “There’s about to be a lotta beer in you and me tonight” — well, that sounds ominous! But it makes sense given how this song evokes a similar feeling of being at a party, squashed between bros, one of whom holds your mouth open, while another sprays warm keg beer down your gullet until it overflows and the foam dribbles down your chin. One point for the laugh that line provided.
[1]

Steacy Easton: For all of his musical skills (and the guitar here is excellent), one of the things that Paisley is best at is collegiality. In COVID times, this kind of let’s-get-together via Zoom has developed its own grammar and aesthetic, dependent upon whether you believe the sincerity of the performer. If there was a scale, with that disastrous “Imagine” video on one end, this might be the other. 
[7]

Katherine St Asaph: Oulipo for aging dudebros, InBev CFOs, and people whose hearts are warmed by crowdsourced Zoom ads, KPI-optimized acts of kindness, and front-yard signage reading “black or white, relax and have a beer.” That’s not a creative sick burn. It’s literally for them.
[0]

Nortey Dowuona: This is dumb and corny. The hokey, over-smushed guitar, thankfully lifted bass and kinda undefined and washed-up drums remind me of a band who played in a Long Island bar that I would read my raps in. In short, it’s my favorite Brad Paisley song ever. I might even forgive him for “Accidental Racist.” (ALMOST.)
[7]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: Stupid, smile-inducing, and fun, in that order.  
[6]

Ramzi Awn: The elementary chord progression might have worked if the lyrics weren’t somewhere between inanity and a nursery rhyme. How low can we go? America needs more.
[2]

Alex Clifton: I’m distraught I don’t hate this as much as I wanted to based on the title. This is a doofy song about getting drunk together because the world is a shit-show and because drinking alone sucks. And you know what? It’s August 2020. I’m exhausted. I want nothing more than to chug a few Blue Moons in the company of friends. I want to hang out on a porch in the late summer heat and not give a flying flip about the fact that we’re living through five different historical events smushed into one year. I want one single day where I do not have to feel bone-deep fear about where the US–and the world–is currently headed, where I can just turn off my brain, close my eyes, and chill out. You’re buying this round, Brad. Just this once.
[7]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: I’m glad that Brad Paisley is having a good time.
[2]