Rascal Flatts

Rascal Flatts have made a killing as a mainstream country act expressly designed for chicks, rock n' roll fans and Yankees. And by Yankees, we mean those who live north of the Mason-Dixon line as well as those who reside in or within a close radius of a major urban center or non-Southern metropolis. The Flatts are one of the most successful twanged-out rock bands of the modern era, and the instantly likeable Unstoppable shows no signs that the overall train is slowing down. If anything, it's picking up steam, and the power trio that comprises Rascal Flatts is destined to permanently affix itself to the annals of country music for the rest of the band's career. No, Rascal Flatts aren't a shit kicker country band, but their finely-honed ability to assemble hits is undeniable.

Unstoppable is rife with pop-country ballads, like the smash single "Here Comes Goodbye," which could bellow in the car on date nights or in high school gymnasiums and auditoriums during prom season. "Forever" is another contemplative offering from the Flatts, which remains buoyant when it could have gotten mushy, while the title track and the thoughtful "Why" both tug at the heart strings without turning sappy. That's how deft Rascal Flatts are at satiating a wide audience. The music, even the slow, heartbreak-themed songs, are never downers and they almost always end on a note of hope. The upbeat songs, like "Close," "She'd Be California" and the inescapably infectious "Summer Nights," which is this album's "Bob That Head," are everything you'd expect from the Flatts and more, which includes polished hooks, Gary LeVox's roof-grazing, intensely emotive pipes and lots of country gee-tars.

Another thing Rascal Flatts and Unstoppable excel is completely relatable subject matter; the group hunkers down in relationship territory and camps out there for most of the album. It's a smart move, making the music that much more appealing to Everyman and his Common Girl. If there's one thing that "Love Who You Love" and "Holdin' On' exude, it's heaping, overflowing buckets of emotion. Unstoppable is the complete package of American pop country.

— Amy Sciarretto
04.28.09

On their sixth album, Unstoppable, Rascal Flatts trade their "aw shucks" persona for a title that Michael Jackson somehow missed in his King of Pop phase, and act like superstars rather than boys next door made good. Almost nothing about Unstoppable is modest, not the sounds, not the sentiments -- only the songs, whether they're sports-bar party anthems like "Summer Nights"; glistening, tightly wound crossover pop like "Close" and its breezy counterpart "She'd Be California"; or arena ballads like the first single, "Here Comes Goodbye." Despite a lot of driving, sequenced rhythms, most of the record feels as if it belongs in the arena ballad category, thanks to how every track comes across as waves of gleaming sound topped by the group's harmonies. The smoothness is overwhelming and Rascal Flatts seem certain of their own invincibility. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide