Country legend George Jones once wrote a letter to Brad Paisley that said, "I am counting on you to carry on the tradition and make folks sit up and listen to what good Country music should sound like." As VOA's Mary Morningstar tells us, Brad continues to make Country's past generation proud with his latest album, 5th Gear.

The amusing love song, "Ticks", is one of 10 tracks Brad Paisley wrote for his latest album 5th Gear.  According to Brad, he has one major goal in mind when he writes songs. He says, "Every move is about creating an enjoyable experience for the audience. We want to take them on a musical ride that has a lot of different emotions and textures to it." Since launching his "Bonfires and Amplifiers" tour in April, Brad has already played to more than 250,000 fans. He's expected to be among the Top 5 tours of 2007.

The 34-year-old West Virginia native's music is deeply rooted in traditional Country, a style most of today's Country artists have abandoned for the more radio-friendly, pop-influenced sound. But, that hasn't stopped Brad from dominating the popularity charts. "Ticks" recently became his eighth Number One Country hit and 5th Gear is his third release to debut at the top of Billboard's Country Albums chart.

Brad's new album features many guests, including Grand Ole Opry stars Bill Anderson and "Little" Jimmy Dickens, Vince Gill, Dolly Parton, George Jones and Carrie Underwood, who duets with Brad on the ballad "Oh Love."

Brad offers a variety of musical styles on 5th Gear.  Following the trend of his past four albums, Brad's new album includes a gospel hymn and an instrumental track, plus a couple of bonus comedy bits from his recording sessions.

Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley

Brad admits that family life has been an influence on his songwriting.

"It shows up a lot more than I thought it would, not so much in songs about babies as in songs about nostalgia," he says.

Brad and his wife, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley, welcomed their first child in February. He'll be away from their sprawling ranch outside of Nashville, Tennessee for much of 2007. Brad's "Bonfires And Amplifiers" tour runs through mid-November.

The video to his new single features actor Jason Alexander, who also appeared in the video to Brad's 2003 hit "Celebrity." In the song "Online." Brad Paisley is joined by Carrie Underwood on harmony vocals and the Brentwood High School Marching Band from Brentwood, Tennessee.