There’s not a bad moment on this fourteen track collection. Not a single chord, not a single note, not a single lyric is wasted.
But that’s not to say there aren’t some true standout tracks, either. “Unfair Weather Friend” is a song that will remind many of “Find Out Who Your Friends Are” by Tracy Lawrence, Tim McGraw, and Kenny Chesney. The themes explored in this song are a long lasting friendship, two friends who can count on each other for anything and everything, and have throughout the years. While “Find Out…” explored this type of friendship in the broad aspects of hypotheticals, “Unfair Weather Friend” is two friends speaking directly to one another – expressing gratitude for the friendship they’ve shared over the years.
“Missing Ol’ Johnny Cash” is a fun track where these two discuss their love for the Man in Black. Rather than a lament, the song is sung with the utmost joy for the late legend, for both his music and his offstage behavior – the Johnny Cash that only his friends knew, even telling a great story (be it true or not) about Cash taking a casket to his hotel room, climbing inside, and calling room service.
“Live This Long” is another great track where the two greats sing about how they would have taken it easier and given up more vices had they known they were going to live as long as they had. Another standout is the cover of Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,” a Dylan track I’ve always loved.
If there’s one complaint, it’s that the album goes way too quickly. When legends put out new material, especially in the current country music environment, there’s always a desire for the music not to end. Fourteen tracks is a good length of album from any artist, but when icons are putting out new music, when you don’t know when you might hear from them again in the future, you’re always left wanting more when the album ends. Especially with an album as solid as this one. (I suppose that this can hardly be considered a “complaint” since no one can expect that the album would be endless).
Overall, this album is a must-own for any true country music fan.