In Pieces - Brooks, Garth (CD 2000)

Let me start off by saying that I haven't listened to this CD in a while, so I'm doing this purely from memory. With In Pieces Garth Brooks' hit record from 1993, we hear a diverse musical selection, ranging from hard rocking numbers all the way to jazz.

Standing Outside the Fire is a good start to the album. It's a rock song, that has a good moral value: Take chances, even if you get hurt in the process. One has to watch the video for the song to get it. If you haven't seen it, I won't ruin it. The highlight of the song: A drum solo in the middle.

The Night I Called the Old Man Out is another good song, where you can hear a fiddle play alongside the traditional guitar and bass (not something modern country music is known for). However, you may want to listen to it while the kids aren't with you. The song is written from the standpoint of a teenager, who recalls a nasty fight he had with his father. As I said, not for kids, but something could be learned from it.

American Honky-Tonk Bar Association is a witty song with a bad pun for a title. This one's a country-rock hybrid, about the stereotypes you will find at a, well, a honky-tonk bar. It's a good fun song that doesn't get boring.

One Night a Day is the first ballad on the album, employing a piano, and later, a saxophone. It's been a long time since I last heard it, so I can't really say much about it. It was a radio single, and it did have moderate success.

Ain't Going Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up) is next up, and it's an all-out rock song, where Brooks pretty much raps throughout. It must've been a pain in the a** for Brooks to perform live, as it's just very fast-paced, and even I can't keep up with the lyrics. It was a major hit song for him, and I can only guess why.

Next on the track list is Kickin' and Screamin', which is not a favorite of mine. I skip it each time, so I don't have much to say about it.

Now we have the second piano ballad on the CD, The Red Strokes, which I've yet to find the meaning. A video was made for it, even though it wasn't released as a radio single, and had moderate success. It's a good song, and it would've done great on the radio.

Callin' Baton Rouge was the biggest hit song from the album, even though it was a cover song. It was originally performed by The Oak Ridge Boys and then it was covered by Billie Jo Spears and then it was covered by New Grass Revival as a bluegrass song. Not bad, for a cover of a cover, which in turn was a cover of a cover. The song is basically about a girl he saw in Baton Rouge, and will do anything to see her once more. Pretty clich , but it works.

The Night Will Only Know is probably the darkest song on the disc. There's no swearing in it, but the song almost glorifies a very brutal rape. If I heard correctly, this song was based on a true event. Not a good thing to be glorifying, if you ask me. Despite this, it's actually a good song.

The Cowboy Song is the last track of this very good CD. What a way to end it, with a fiddle-driven ballad recalling cowboy life.

All in all, this is a good CD. There's only one song that warrants skipping over, and almost every song has a good moral message to be heard.