''Moonshine in the Trunk'' is the eleventh studio album by American country music artist Brad Paisley. It was released on August 25, 2014, by Arista Nashville. It became Paisley's eighth album to hit No. 1 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

''s country chart.

Background

The album was first announced on May 8, 2014, and features duets with

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, including ...

and

Carrie Underwood Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American singer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of ''American Idol'' in 2005. Her single "Inside Your Heaven" made her the only country artist to debut atop the ''Bill ...

. Paisley revealed he built a honky tonk so he and his band can get inspired and to establish a vibe for the album. He said: "I wanted this to be a modern honky-tonk record, but not one that's a 'cry in your beer' honky-tonk record: more like a honky-tonk record that Buck Owens would've made". He wanted to make a record that's "everything elove about country music, in a modern sense with some new technology". He added that "the record is a largely positive take on life right now. It's got this sentiment of, 'well, things aren't perfect, but it's Friday'".

Promotion

The first single released from the album was "

River Bank Riverbank or river bank may refer to: *Bank (geography), the bank of a river Places *Riverbank, California *Riverbank, former name of Bryte, California Enterprises and organizations *Riverbank Academy, a special school in Coventry, England * Ri ...

". It was made digitally available on April 6, 2014, after Paisley's performance of the song at the annual Academy of Country Music Awards. The song peaked at No. 2 on the

Country Airplay Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since January 20, 1990. This chart lists the 60 most-listened-to records played on 150 mainstream country radio stations across the country as monitored ...

chart, behind Dierks Bentley's " Drunk on a Plane". On July 26, Paisley tweeted that he was going to release a preview of the whole album and that his label didn't know it. The joke continued with Paisley posting previews of songs from the album and simulating a feud with his label. He also posted a remix of the album's first single, "River Bank", featuring Colt Ford. The tracks " Perfect Storm", " Crushin' It", "

Country Nation "Country Nation" is a song recorded by the American country music artist Brad Paisley. It was released on September 14, 2015, by Arista Nashville as the fourth and final single from his tenth studio album, '' Moonshine in the Trunk''. He co-wrote ...

" and "Shattered Glass" were released as promotional singles in advance of the album's release, all of which charted at No. 45, No. 46, No. 37 and No. 44, respectively, on the

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart. "Perfect Storm" was released on September 2, 2014 as the album's second single and it has since reached No.1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. The third single, "Crushin' It", was released on January 26, 2015. The fourth single, "Country Nation", was released on September 14, 2015. The popular YouTube series '' The Annoying Orange'' animated a music video for the track "Limes", featuring Paisley portraying himself as a lime wearing a cowboy hat. Throughout the video, several other limes are sliced in half, thrown into a blender, and are consumed as margaritas, including Brad himself at the end of the video.

Songs and lyrics

The opening track and third single from the album, "Crushin' It", is about having fun when things have not necessarily been going your way, drinking a beer and then crushing the can. Paisley stated the song has the sentiment of "well, things aren't perfect, but it's Friday". "

" has been called a fun-loving warm-weather single. In the song, the narrator buys some scratch-off tickets and he and his girlfriend dream to be millionaires; until the dream comes true, they can have fun on the river bank. Paisley said the inspiration for the song came by the memories of his grandfather, his dad and himself near the Ohio River. " Perfect Storm" was released as the album's second single and it received positive reviews from many critics. It is a ballad about the girl every man is looking for. "High Life" features backing vocals by

and tells the story of a money-hungry family. In the third verse they even sue Underwood herself over a song of hers, claiming she stole it from a poem the singer's brother wrote in second grade. The song refers to a real-life legal battle which involves singer-songwriter Lizza Connor and Paisley's co-writers Kelley Lovelace and Chris DuBois. Connor claims Lovelace and DuBois stole parts of Paisley and Underwood's smash hit " Remind Me" from a song she'd originally written, also called "Remind Me". The title-track is an uptempo

country rock Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal s ...

song mainly driven by electric guitar and

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

. In it, Paisley asks his lover to join him for a high-speed ride through the country in his '69 Camaro. The song "Shattered Glass" has been called a feminist ode to female empowerment. When asked about the song, Paisley said "there’s two people I really wrote that for. One of them is my wife ctress Kimberly Williams-Paisley">Kimberly_Williams-Paisley.html" ;"title="ctress Kimberly Williams-Paisley">ctress Kimberly Williams-Paisley [...">Kimberly Williams-Paisley">ctress Kimberly Williams-Paisley">Kimberly_Williams-Paisley.html" ;"title="ctress Kimberly Williams-Paisley">ctress Kimberly Williams-Paisley [...and the other one is our daughter who does not exist...what song would I write for my daughter? It would be this exact song". He added that "the song is supposed to be a pep talk to [his wife] and any woman who has dreams she wants to achieve, and thinks to herself "this might not be something a woman like me can do." Not true. Go do it! It’s meant to be a total vote of confidence and love song in that sense. It’s basically 'I believe in you!'". The song was highly praised by critics. "Limes" is an upbeat song about taking what life gives you and making the best of it. "You Shouldn't Have To" is introduced by a bluesy electric guitar solo and in the song, the narrator describes some things a girl could do alone, but she "shouldn't have to." The song "4WP" pokes fun at bro country tendency by acknowledging the trend and lingering on some of its recurrent elements (cut-off jeans, pickup truck, dirt road). A sample of Paisley's former hit Mud on the Tires is also featured in the song. About the song, Paisley said, "in the middle of this bro-country movement, with all this criticism about he genre's reliance onthe jean shorts and the mud and the outdoors, we do a song that's just like that… but we include a sample of myself from 2003! Which is kind of like saying, 'I have a little license. I kinda did this already.' But it's written so tongue-in-cheek, and it doesn't take itself too seriously." "Cover Girl" is about a beautiful girl who would be put on the cover of magazines if she was discovered. The Bluegrass-influenced "Gone Green" was written by Paisley's bass player Kenny Lewis and features

on background vocals, discussing a "redneck" who has "gone green" for helping the environment. "American Flag on the Moon" is another ballad about how the United States is capable of so many great feats, especially after putting a man on the moon. Paisley said he was inspired to write the song by his five years old son Jasper, who -after he heard about the moon landing- looked up at the sky and said "I think I can see the flag". "American Flag on the Moon" is introduced by a short prelude, "JFK 1962," which samples a famous speech from former President John F. Kennedy. The penultimate song, "Country Nation" describes all the different types of people that make up the United States, giving heavy reference to college athletics. The final track, "Me and Jesus", was included as an "extra special bonus track" on the album. Paisley recorded the song and dedicated it to Kent Brantly, a Christian doctor infected by the

Ebola Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after becom ...

virus. Brantly contracted the virus while working with sick patients. Selflessly, the doctor gave the serum to his friend rather than taking it himself. Paisley said he was moved by this fact, and so he added the song as a bonus track on the album. Paisley had originally sung the song at country singer and icon George Jones' funeral on May 2, 2013 at the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...

Critical reception

The album received mixed to positive reviews from critics.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

writes for '' AllMusic'' that the album "proves his strengths remain mighty potent." Christian Hoard writes for '' Rolling Stone'' saying how Paisley "caters to his base" while simultaneously he "prods it a little." Jordan Mitchell writes for ''UK Country Music'' that ''Moonshine in the Trunk'' is a "classic Brad Paisley sounding album full of entertaining lyrics and outstanding musical accompaniment including Paisley’s handy guitar skills." Deborah Evans Price writes for ''

'' how Paisley "succeeds on every level from the clever songwriting to his signature tasty guitar licks and personality-packed vocals." Sarah Rodman writes for '' The Boston Globe'' saying how Paisley continues to show "his clever wit... his skillful guitar playing, curiosity about human interaction, and his nice guy affability."

Brian Mansfield Brian Mansfield (born September 24, 1963) is an American writer and journalist. Early life and education Mansfield grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. He graduated from David Lipscomb High School. In 1984, Mansfield received a bachelor's degre ...

writes for '' USA Today'' how "Paisley's first album that doesn't sound more ambitious than his last, ''Moonshine'' occasionally forces its cleverness", whilst he maintains "the vision to look beyond his tailgate and dream of a better world." Jeremy Winograd writes for

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

how the music is "composed of one part willfully idiotic pandering and two parts loose, fun, and rocking party country" that's "mostly upbeat, feel-good summertime album that largely minimizes Paisley's tendency toward hokey power balladry." Whilst Winograd averring, "It proves that Paisley is more than adept at bucking Nashville's expectations; it's when he adheres to them that he gets in trouble." Giving the album a B− rating, Glenn Gamboa writes for ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...

'' that it is "A mixed bag of cool country and tired cliches."

Commercial performance

The album debuted in the US at No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 53,000 copies in its first week. In the second week the album sold 16,000 copies. It was Paisley's fifth disc overall to reach second place on Billboard's main album chart. As of September 2015, the album has sold 187,400 copies in the US. Sales figure give
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Track listing

Personnel

Vocals *

Brent Anderson Brent Anderson may refer to: * Brent Anderson (comics) (born 1955), American comics artist * Brent Anderson (singer) Brent Anderson (born in Pascagoula, Mississippi) is an American country music singer. He has charted on Hot Country Songs with t ...

— background vocals *

— featured vocals *Wes Hightower — background vocals * Carl Jackson — background vocals *Kenny Lewis — background vocals *Mrs. King's class at Montessori Academy — children's choir *Kendall Marcy — background vocals * Brad Paisley — lead vocals *

— featured vocals *Luke Wooten — background vocals Design *Chris DuBois — creative director *Ben Enos — photography *Jim Shea — photography Production and instruments *Randle Currie —

pedal steel guitar The pedal steel guitar is a Console steel guitar, console-type of steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings to enable playing more varied and complex music than any previous steel guitar design. Like all s ...

*Rafe Hollister — mixing *Gary Hooker — electric guitar,

tic-tac bass The baritone guitar is a guitar with a longer scale length, typically a larger body, and heavier internal bracing, so it can be tuned to a lower pitch. Gretsch, Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, ESP Guitars, PRS Guitars, Music Man, Danelectro, ...

*Scott Johnson — production assistant *Kenny Lewis — acoustic bass, electric bass *Bob Ludwig — mastering *Kyle Manner — assistant, digital editing, engineer *Kendall Marcy — assistant, associate production,

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

, clavichord, digital editing, engineering,

Fender Rhodes The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, th ...

, Hammond B-3 organ,

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

, piano,

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

*Gordon Mote — piano *Brad Paisley —

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

, electric guitar,

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

, mixing,

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

, programming, tic tac *Jasper Paisley —

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

*Ben Sesar —

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, percussion * Bryan Sutton — acoustic guitar,

*Justin Williamson — cello,

, violin *Brian David Willis — digital editing *Luke Wooten — engineer, mixing, percussion, producer

Chart positions

The album debuted at No. 1 on Country Albums Chart and

UK Country Albums Chart The UK Country Artists Albums Chart is a music charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company from sales of songs in the country music genre in record stores and digital downloads. The chart can be viewed on the Official ...

, while it peaked at No. 2 in Canada and on the ''Billboard'' 200 and reached No. 14 in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It also charted in Norway,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...