Staind singer
Aaron Lewis had success with his solo 2011 country EP
Town Line, so it stood to reason that a full-length would follow on its heels. And so it did, with
The Road appearing at the end of 2012. Compared to the star-studded arena-country of
Town Line,
The Road is lean and hard, with its opening cut "75" displaying some measure of twang. Soon enough, though,
Lewis is back to his slow plodding ways, using steel guitar as flavoring on tracks that could otherwise function as quiet songs on
Staind albums if it wasn't for all the lyrics about god, family, and country.
Lewis takes the patriotism of country quite literally, writing on-the-nose odes to "The Road," "Granddaddy's Gun," and "State Lines," summing it all up as a few "Lessons Learned." As he has a flat, affectless voice,
Lewis never seems particularly moved or bothered by any of this, he just shrugs his shoulders. Similarly, his music doesn't have much color; it's by-the-numbers red state country, hitting all of its marks and making no lasting impression.