Brad Paisley: Solo Artist, Group Effect

Brad Paisley's 2009 CD, American Saturday Night, photo courtesy of Arista Nashville.

June 30, 2009 — When Brad Paisley writes his songs, he typically does it with no more than two other people in the room, but when it’s time to record, he’s been known to turn it into a party. There’ve been big, gang vocals on several of his hits — including "Alcohol" and "I’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin’ Song)" — and he incorporated a marching band into "Online."

Brad and his producer, Frank Rogers, used that effect even more in his new album, which comes out Tuesday.

"That’s the thing about an album called American Saturday Night, it needs to feel like that," Brad says. "It needs to feel like an event, a gathering. And that’s what this album was, you know? And these crowd parts, Frank and I were like, ‘You know, this is the most we’ve ever done this.’ Every other album had maybe one, and he said, ‘Yeah, I think it’s important.’ He said, ‘I think it is what this album is, to some degree.’ And it’s how the album was written. It was written in a group, essentially. That’s how it was recorded. It was a group effort by a lot of different people, and it reflects that in the production of it."

Brad’s not exactly the only guy who’s put gang vocals to work. Garth Brooks’ "Friends In Low Places," Trace Adkins’ "Ladies Love Country Boys," David Lee Murphy’s "Party Crowd," Dierks Bentley’s "Sideways," Montgomery Gentry’s "One In Every Crowd" and Brooks & Dunn’s "Rock My World (Little Country Girl)" are among the other hits that have employed them.

In the meantime, Brad’s planning on drawing a big crowd when he appears in New York’s Central Park Friday for the summer concert series on "Good Morning, America." He’s also part of the first group of artists who’ve been officially announced as performers on ABC’s three-hour August special "CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night To Rock." His rain-delayed, after-midnight show will be highlighted alongside music from Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Kid Rock, Darius Rucker and Sugarland.