To be true, all of these songs feature top-notch artists, from "legends" such as Lee Greenwood and Kenny Rogers, to relative newcomers like Dusty Drake and Phil Vassar. All of these songs are high-caliber pieces of entertainment, and will make you proud to be an American and a country music fan.Only a handful of the songs, surpisingly, deal with America in a direct way. The album kicks off with probably it's most patriotic number: a newer version of Lee Greenwood's immortal "God Bless the USA." Martina McBride delivers a stunning performance of "God Bless America," while Aaron Tippin keeps it simple (yet effective) on "Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Fly". Randy Travis reaches inside us all with his stirring voice on "America WIll Always Stand," with Phil Vassar's "American Child" reiterating American pride and life. Hank Jr. and the Charlie Daniels Band are the flag waving rebels with their respective tunes, and BlackHawk tells of daily life in "Days of America." The Warren Brothers offer a respectful look at the presidency (thank God; there's too much criticism out there) with their powerful "Hey Mr. President," and Kenny Rogers sums things up with his emotional "Homeland."
Other songs deal with rural/country life (urban listeners might feel a little left out). Montgomery Gentry's smash "My Town," Chesney's "Back Where I Come From," and Alabama's "Born Country" all tell of backwoods boys who love their simple lives.
Still other songs are here for their emotional punch. Neal McCoy's back with "I'm Your Biggest Fan" (I saw him perform this one live; by the end, everyone, McCoy included, had tears in their eyes). Lonestar's "I'm Already There" and Dusty Drake's "One Last Time" both offer tears (the first of joy, the second of sorrow). David Ball's "Riding With Private Malone" and Kix and Ronnie's "Til My Dyin Day" don't really fit in with the rest of the album, but they are both entertaining songs nonetheless.
"Patriotic Country" may not be an entirely patriotic album; it detours now and then, in an effort to attract more listeners. And there were some songs that could be replaced by others; Toby Keith's "American Soldier" (or "Courtesy of the Red White and Blue", if the album compilers wanted to risk sales drops), or Alan Jackson's "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning" could easily have fit in. But their absence isn't much noticeable, as you've got 18 great country songs, about life, pride, and family--three things country's always been about.
Two reasons you should buy this album: one, a portion of the proceeds will go to a great cause; and second, this is an album filled with superb music. With those reasons behind you, why haven't you bought the album already?
One of the best collections of patriotic country music I've found. However, some songs on this CD aren't exactly patriotic, per se. They're more like "slice of life in America" songs. I would have traded these for others like Martina McBride's "Independence Day", Toby Keith's "American Soldier", and perhaps "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue".God Bless the U.S.A. 2003 - Lee Greenwood, (3:30): Greenwood's famous song is still just as good as ever, and if you haven't heard it, this could become one of your favorite tracks.
My Town - Montgomery Gentry (4:27): It's just a simple song about being proud to be in "my town"
Till My Dyin' Day - Brooks & Dunn (3:06): A more beaty song about appreciating life, the beauty of living, and standing up for our rights when it comes time, "till my dyin' day".
God Bless America - Martina McBride (3:31): With very orchestral and spirited music, Martina McBride sings as well as ever. *Sarcastic warning* This song includes an invocation of blessings from God.
Where the Stars and Stripes and Eagle Fly - Aaron Tippin (3:48): I just love this song. It just sums up being "proud to be American" perfectly. It's sort of mildly boasting about the best that America offers, and the freedom that Americans live and die for. American pride at its best.
I'm Already There - Lonestar (4:14): Lonestar does some great songs, and this one is a popular, sort of tear-jerking song. Not exactly patriotic (not that it's UNpatriotic) but it sings of a father on the road calling back home and talking to his family, telling them that he is, in essence, "already there" in spirit. It's just a nice family love song, and nice to hear, but it's just one of those slice-of-life songs, not about America. Then again, one could easily argue that's a good part of what America is about.
America Will Always Stand - Randy Travis (3:58): Just a quiet song, singing of love for the American flag, and what she stands for, and standing stongly united under its banner, and under God.
American Child - Phil Vassar (3:13): I really like this song, too, even though it is kind of from a personal angle, as in, singing of (assumingly) Phil Vassar's upbringing in a poor town, his success, and being thankful that he and his family grew up an "American Child".
Back Where I Come From - Kenny Chesney (4:11): Recorded live, it is introduced by Kenny Chesney, and sings of a love for country roots, the background for many of these music stars, and a lot of Americans.
Born Country - Alabama (3:18) Again, another song of pride for country roots and surroundings from which singers and others come from.
I'm Your Biggest Fan - Neal McCoy (4:05): A very loving song to the troops, evidently recorded recently, overseas if I had my guess. Each and everyone of us that is proud to have our American soldiers fighting to keep us free could sing this to the troops, and mean it with all our hearts.
America Will Survive - Hank Williams Jr. (4:42): This is one in the style of "Angry American", and modified from the original "Country Boy Can Survive", it's about gritty resolve that a ragtag bunch of terrorists won't drive us out, or make us run. This song contained the D-word, in case you're concerned about content.
Days of America - Black hawk (3:00): Another okay song about normal American life...neighbors banding together to protect their businesses from corporate takeovers, farms from bank foreclosures...just neighbors taking care of each other.
This Ain't No Rag, It's A Flag - The Charlie Daniels Band (3:32): Once again, in the style of "Angry American", Charlie Daniels' gravely voice gets down and dirty, warning terrorists that they're about to face up to the consequences for daring to attack this big dawg country. If you liked "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue" (which I did -- in spite of the bad word, I loved it), you're going to love this one too. I love it because there IS a time to express the anger that Americans store up for terrorists that behead our troops and plot harm against u.s. Again, if content is a concern, the style is sort of heavy-metal, but it's a heavy metal that I'm okay with -- and I don't like heavy metal. It also calls the terrorists mild names like "dog", "fool", and "dirty little mole", which shouldn't bother anyone -- they're terrorists.
Hey Mr. President - The Warren Brothers (4:17): A quiet song (perhaps needed to calm yourself down after venting some anger in "Ain't No Rag"), just a nice little memo in song-form to the President, thanking him for the job he's doing, It bridges party lines, too, not favoring one side or the other, although presumably it thanks President Bush, because we owe little thanks to Clinton for degrading our military prior to 9/11.
Riding With Private Malone - David Ball (4:34): Not very patriotic, exactly, but again, it's not unpatriotic either. It's just a song about a former military fellow who buys a car from a lady, and finds a note in the glove compartment from another boy who died in one of the wars, and used to own the car. The singer fixes up the car, but he sings about how he always felt while driving that he was "riding with Private Malone".
One Last Time - Dusty Drake (3:49): A tear-jerker if I ever heard one. It's about one of the passengers on one of the doomed airplanes on 9/11, calling home to his wife to say goodbye -- "one last time". Very emotional, very touching.
Homeland - Kenny Rogers (3:34): A fitting close, singing again of love for American homeland, standing strong and free.
Whether you like country or not, this album makes you proud -- nay, thrilled -- to be American. I strongly recommend it for anyone.
