AMG Review of Nothing Like This

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

After the lethargic hubris of Rascal Flatts’ sixth album Unstoppable it seemed like the friendly trio had settled into a carefully calculated rut so it’s good to hear that switching labels for 2010’s Nothing Like This has revived the band considerably. Nothing Like This doesn’t offer anything new - if ever there was a band adverse to risk, it’s Rascal Flatts who have never strayed from the sunny sound of their 2000 debut - but everything from the melodies to the very sound of the tight 11-track record seems brighter than the trio’s last few records. Certainly, Rascal Flatts have made a conscious decision to not drift toward sleepiness, injecting a high number of propulsive tunes into the body of the record. Several of these have the echoing pulse of an arena - the opening “Why Wait,” “All Night To Get There” - but they also ride “Red Camero” on chords reminiscent of “Life Is A Highway,” jauntily skip through “Play” and take “Tonight Tonight” to the verge of rock & roll. Naturally, they haven’t abandoned ballads, going so far as to enlist Natasha Bedingfield for a questionable stab at pop radio crossover, but the emphasis isn’t these slow, swaying numbers, the album is all about balance, all about executing the usual with precision. It’s a fresh coat of paint on a sturdy old house.