Album review: Jason Aldean’s Night Train adds modern flair to authentic country sound

Whether he's being whisked away on a train or downing a bottle of SoCo, Aldean is still No. 1.

Jason Aldean hit it big with his fifth studio album, Night Train, which was released October 16. The record debuted at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart, with 409,000 copies sold in the first week, according to the Billboard website.

Not straying far from his down-home roots, Aldean made sure to include a balanced mix of country tracks that his fans won’t be disappointed with. He and his band collaborated to create a fiery combination of old school rock 'n' roll mixed with contemporary country flair.

The fame he earned from his previous album, My Kinda Party, didn’t interfere with his depictions of his past. Songs like “This Nothin’ Town” and “Water Tower” portray his steadfast love for his small-town Georgia upbringing.

He is clearly proud of where he’s going, though, and sings about the rush that touring the country with his music brings him in the song “Wheels Rollin’,” with lines like, “I step up, the lights go down / I hear that first chord ring / It's where I go to lose myself / Forget about everything.”

Aldean even brought his pals and fellow country superstars, Luke Bryan and Eric Church, onto the album with “The Only Way I Know,” an upbeat song about staying strong in the face of adversity.

The album’s namesake track, “Night Train,” shows Aldean’s wild but loving side; he talks about escaping for the night with his girl and a bottle of Southern Comfort to listen to a train winding through the country.

His wide range of tracks and tempos — party jams, hometown melodies, songs full of heart as well as songs full of heartache — make for another album success and some stellar new music for country-loving fans.

Night Train, with equal parts passion, fun, vulnerability, and wildness, proves that Aldean is now more than eligible to be dubbed the "badass" of contemporary country music.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars