Glitzy dreams of youth dim compared to the joys of family and small-town life in “Everyday America.” Still, dreams fuel hope (“Happy Ending”). Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush expose “Mean Girls” for the schoolyard menace they are, thus discouraging cruel behavior while empathizing with victims. Several songs talk of surviving tough times, be they relational (“April Showers,” “These Are the Days”) or weather related (“One Blue Sky”).
The massive flood on “One Blue Sky” leads an ignorant preacher to predict the end of the world (Gen. 9:8-16). A quest for redemption sends the singer back to the “County Line,” which summons carefree memories including beer cans, cherry wine and sexual experimentation. On “Settlin'” a woman tries to reconcile her longing for Mr. Right with her nightly pursuit of Mr. Right Now. Elsewhere, a mistress is frustrated with her lover for dragging his feet and not leaving his wife (“Stay”).
It’s natural that country music fans would get roped in by Enjoy the Ride‘s catchy melodies and sentimental view of rural life. But the lasso gets tangled in the area of sexual ethics.