Brad Paisley Proud of Serious & Funny Sides

Brad Paisley accepts the "Top Male Vocalist" award onstage during the 42nd Annual Academy Of Country Music Awards held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 15, 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

May 15, 2008 — Brad Paisley has four nominations as he heads into the "43rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards," including Album of the Year for his CD 5th Gear.

Brad’s been hailed as the modern-day heir to Roger Miller, one of the funniest guys in country music history, and that side of him is reflected in the singles "Online," "Ticks" and "I’m Still A Guy." But Brad also showed a serious, contemplative side in "Letter To Me," and that contrast is exactly what he was shooting for.

"I want to say new things with a new album," he told the national radio show GAC Nights: Live From Nashville. "There’s no reason to do one if I don’t, because I’m a lyricist and I really love the way the lyrics play a part in country music. And what I’m proud of on this record, and as I look at some of the topics that y’all might consider humorous, I think we’ve done things that you’ve never heard in a song before. I’ve never heard a song about a guy who has an alter-ego online. I’ve heard songs like ‘I’m Still A Guy,’ but I’ve never heard a phrase like ‘I’ve still got a pair’ used in a song — at least not that way. Maybe ‘The Gambler’ used that phrase, but it wasn’t the same thing. You know, I always worry about when I do songs like this, though — truthfully — about overshadowing the serious side. Because I do have a serious side."

Obviously, the ACM voters understand both sides of Brad, because they’ve been very supportive of his work. He’s now had 31 total nominations from the ACM in his career, and 5th Gear is his fourth CD to be a finalist for Album of the Year. The other Album nominees came with Who Needs Pictures, Mud On The Tires and Time Well Wasted.