Jason Aldean: ‘Georgia’ – Album Review

Jason Aldean’s highly anticipated album, GEORGIA is officially here. The last fifteen tracks of his double album are out now, April 22nd. Take a listen and read our full review below.

Today, April 22, Jason Aldean released the second half of his Macon, Georgia double-album, completing the ambitious thirty-song project. With ten new songs, as well as five live greatest hits, the Georgia portion, out today, is the follow-up to November’s Macon.

“We’ve always tried to lean toward more songs than less…and this album is no different,” Aldean explains in a statement. “We decided to pepper in some of the live tracks we’ve had stockpiled for a while. After nine albums and 16 years of recording, I hope people can tell I wanted to make this tenth album fun and different from anything we’ve done before.” 

While part one included the mega-hit “If I Didn’t Love You” with Carrie Underwood, part two features future chart-toppers like “God Made Airplanes,” “Whiskey Me Away,” and “Trouble with Heartbreak.” Like Macon, the theme of Georgia seems to revolve heavily around heartbreak, which is where Aldean shines.

“Whiskey Me Away” opens Georgia, perfectly setting the tone, and highlighting Aldean at his best. With his deep voice and brooding style, the superstar tends to excel on mid-tempo heartbreak and this track is the perfect example, hearkening back to some of his earliest hits with its clever play on words.

“Throwing quarters down that jukebox // Play some old-school Alabama // You got the lonely I brought in here // Almost gone without a trace // I know I’ve had a few, yeah, but I’m buzzing on you // You’re a hangover I’d love to wake up to // So come on, baby, whiskey me away // Come on, baby, whiskey me away.”

Likewise, “The State I’m In” and “Trouble with a Heartbreak” are other highlights, both with tension-building and moody melodies, finding the superstar grappling with lost love. On both songs, the heartbreak is inescapable for him as “There’s nowhere her memory can’t go.” Likewise, “The State I’m In” is like a long-lost cousin to 2009’s “The Truth” in the best way possible.

With a tour named after “Rock and Roll Cowboy,” it’s safe to assume the track is destined to be a single, and it’s obvious why. With its catchy hook and driving guitars, the song about a traveling musician is perfectly crafted for a live show.

“God Made Airplanes” is another standout and single-worthy track. Here, he’s desperate to escape, looking to take to the sky to get away from another broken heart.

“That’s why God made airplanes, and runways, and half-price tickets, one-ways // If I could get high up off the ground, ain’t got the wheel can’t turn around // Show me a place without her in it, I’ll be there in a New York minute // If I’m driving, I might hit the breaks // That’s why God made airplanes.”

There are songs on Georgia that find Aldean experimenting with new sounds. For example, “Midnight and Missing You” and “Ain’t Enough Cowboy” find him dabbling with R&B beats and slightly electronic-tinged vocals on the chorus. 

Of the new tracks, the most uncharacteristically Aldean here is “Your Mama,” a sparse and sentimental ballad dedicated to his wife, Brittany. On the stunner of a song, he celebrates the role of his wife as the mother to his children. “It’s just a different kind of song than what you would typically hear from me,” Aldean explains. “Then we turn around and go right back to the rock-driven stuff.”

While the live tracks on Macon were some of Aldean’s earliest hits, including “Amarillo Sky” and “Big Green Tractor,” the five featured on Georgia are newer additions to his catalog. Here, you’ll find live versions of “Take a Little Ride,” “Any Ol’ Barstool,” “Burnin’ It Down,” and “Rearview Town.” The album concludes with a live version of his 2020 hit “Blame It On You.”

For Aldean, the entire Macon, Georgia collection is a celebration of where he’s from. “To me it’s just throwing it back to where it all started,” Aldean revealed in a statement. “I don’t care who you are, where you were raised is such a big part of who you end up being, and for me it’s no different. Macon is a crossroads of country music, Southern rock, blues and R&B, and just that whole combination of music was such a big influence on me growing up – and ultimately on how I make music myself.”

GEORGIA is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.