Realizing that he lacked perspective as a teenager (“At 17 it’s hard to see past Friday night”), Paisley uses hindsight to offer his adolescent self wisdom in a “Letter to Me.” He’s surprised by life’s pleasures and mysteries (“It Did,” “Oh Love”) and croons the spiritual classic “When We All Get to Heaven.” A guy sees his family as the ultimate prize resulting from a teenage quest for wheels on “All I Wanted Was a Car.” Unfortunately …
His fond memories of the vehicle include breaking the speed limit and sex in the backseat. After ogling a sexy girl in a bar, a randy guy suggests they slip into the woods so he can crawl all over her, then check her for “Ticks.” A reckless lover urges his girl not to be “just like our parents, responsible and bland/No risk, no excitement/Hey, let’s get it while we can” (“Some Mistakes”). An ideal boys’ night needs hot women and a keg (“Better Than This”). Mild profanities mar a handful of songs. Even worthwhile statements about how men and women see things differently (“I’m Still a Guy”) and the potential for phoniness in Internet chat rooms (“Online”) throw in prickly lines. Winks at Playboy and Skoal stain “Letter to Me.” A gospel number follows a litany of vices brushed off as no big deal (“Bigger Fish to Fry”). A man tells off-color jokes on a bonus track.
5th Gear is a morally inconsistent effort that grinds gears by yoking sex, profanity and booze with Jesus and hugging Aunt Rita. Just when it gets good, it goes bad.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
