Ever since the release of her enormously successful debut album "Here For the Party" in mid-2004, Gretchen Wilson has been on a rollercoaster ride at the speed of light that includes incessant touring and press. Consequently, the conspicuously quick release of her sophomore effort, "All Jacked Up," which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, is indeed surprising. Where did she find to co-write and record another LP so quickly? It's a tough question, but the most important thing here is that the new material is just as solid as her debut.

The title track and lead single begins the collection on a caffeinated note, finding Wilson drinking more liquor than she can handle one night in a bar. As a result, she subsequently scuffles with a girl of "10'2" and a bad attitude," not to mention backing her car into a traffic light to the delight of the townsfolk. She also sings of her delight for cowboys in "Skoal Ring" and speaks her mind about the Golden State in "California Girls" with her sense of humor on full throttle.

"There ain't nothing wrong with plastic surgery/Well, Dolly Parton never looked so good to me/Everybody oughta be exactly who they want to be/But that Paris Hilton gets under my skin/With her big, fake smile and her painted-on tan/Never had a chance at a real man."

Still, this record isn't all fun and games. "Politically Uncorrect," where Wilson trades lines with singer/songwriter Merle Haggard, finds her rooting for the underdogs of our nation, proclaiming she's "for the low man on the totem pole." She tackles a similar theme on "Full Time Job," where she tips her hat to those who have the most difficult occupation of all: Mothers.

"It's the hardest gig I've ever known/I work my fingers to the bone/Yeah, the dishes and diapers never stop/Lousy pay, there ain't no 401k/I know this may come as a shock/But this here's a full time job."

Other key tracks include "Not Bad For a Bartender," where the Pocahontas, Illinois native remains wide-eyed at her recent fame, her realization of how coldhearted women can be on "He Ain't Even Cold Yet" and puts herself first in the near-breakup ballad "I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today."

Although she may be bordering on too much ubiquity and her image is cliché, the quality of "All Jacked Up" proves Wilson is indeed no flash in the pan. There is no doubt that she is a talented writer and song stylist, and will continue to make solid records for a long time to come.

The DualDisc version of the album includes interview footage, a photo gallery, all the songs in LPCM stereo and the music video for the title track.

Puh-lease... Enough already with all the whining about Wilson being a bad role model or whatever... This is COUNTRY MUSIC, people! I'm sorry if your personal frame of reference doesn't extend back further than Shania Twain and Tim McGraw, but for those of us who grew up on Willie, Hank, Merle, Lefty and Loretta, Ms. Wilson sure sounds like the real deal.

Country music used to be packed with good, dumb novelty songs like "One Bud Wiser" and heartbreaking ballads like "I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today"... Wilson sings both kinds of music with way more passion and conviction that just about anyone I've heard in the Country Top 40 for the last ten years, and I for one plan to stick with her for the next couple of albums... I think she's got what it takes to be a real, grade-A country star with a long career and a list of albums that don't suck. If you don't like songs about booze and bad times, fine, don't buy her records. But don't try and force her -- or us -- to have to suffer through more of that slick pop stuff they call "country" nowadays... Wilson's just doing her thing, and a lot of old-school country fans are happy to hear it.

Bring on the twang, gal!!

Gretchen Wilson has a unique style of music that continues to show through with her latest album, All Jacked Up. In the first week after its release last September, it sold well over 264,000 copies and has continued to see substantial sales ever since. In the quickly changing genre of country music, Gretchen Wilson is at the front of the Muzik Mafia movement, and fans love it. While some of her songs are still what may be considered traditional country, there is a definite breakaway from the norm in her upbeat, rockabilly songs. Overall, the variation of slow and fast, funny and sad songs brings the album nicely together. Of course, there are good parts and bad parts, but overall it is an excellent CD.

Upon first listening to this CD, I thought it was good. Since there are already a number of its songs out on the radio, I was expecting those to be the best ones. I was surprised to find a hidden track, Good Morning Heartache, but it was a pleasant surprise. After hearing the entire CD a few times, I decided that most of the songs are up to par with the already released radio singles. Some tracks have a southern rock feel to them, reminiscent of Hank Williams Jr. Others are more traditional acoustic songs with Loretta Lynn-type lyrics. She tells it like it is! John Rich of Big & Rich co-wrote most of the songs on the album as well as co-produced the album. The listener can certainly see his influence and style throughout the CD. The lyrics are straightforward and do not often leave the listener confused. These are not songs that make one analyze and interpret their meaning. Gretchen Wilson just comes right out and says what she means. She sings her story songs as if she is really living them, and her strong vocals accompanied by emotional instrumentals draw the listener in.

To review this CD track by track, I would have to start with my favorites. For the most part, the best songs are up-tempo with fun, jovial lyrics. The album starts off with the title track, All Jacked Up, which is nothing more than a fun bar song. Its one outstandingly unusual quality is that it begins with what sounds like the finish to a song, then smoothly transitions into the first verse. The album keeps up the fast pace with the second track, California Girls. This song blatantly tells Gretchen Wilson's feelings toward the "Hollywood type". In a fun way, she tells the audience that not every man wants a skinny, trendy girl from California. The next great track is Skoal Ring which tells of her affection for a blue-collar kind of man. She reaffirms the classic country theme of not needing anything but the company of the one you love with the line, "I don't need anything `cept a man with a Skoal ring". One of my favorite songs on the CD is One Bud Wiser. This song is a fun reflection on a breakup. The girl in the story loses her love and then realizes that he was not that great after all. As she drinks her beer, she decides that she is "one Bud wiser than I was a minute ago". That is a great lyric that will carry Gretchen Wilson a long way down the road. One Bud Wiser is directly followed by another of the CD's strongest songs, Politically Uncorrect. This is a tribute song to the legendary Merle Haggard and he makes a guest appearance on the track. Rebel Child is the last truly great song on the album, and another one of my favorites. This song wakes the listener up with elements of southern rock, jazz, and soul all mixed together. It is a very rhythmic song that makes the listener feel like singing along. With all the strong rhythms and melodies in these mostly fast tempo songs, the album moves quickly and leaves the listener wanting more of the same.

Of course, with the good comes the not-so-good. I would not say that there are any truly bad songs on this CD, although He Ain't Even Cold Yet is not the best. This song sounds a lot like George Jones's hit He Stopped Loving Her Today, but does not come close to being as good. As a listener, I cannot tell if the lovesick man in the song has literally died or just has had his heart broken. The lyrics are confusing and the song is very slow and sad. If I had to pick another song that is not quite up to par with the rest of the album, it would be Raining On Me. This song sounds too much like a pop song and does not flow with the other songs on the CD. It sounds like Gretchen Wilson's attempt at a power ballad, but she is not that type of singer. The songs that I have not previously mentioned, Full Time Job, I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today, and Not Bad for a Bartender, are pretty much filler songs. They are neither extraordinarily good nor particularly bad.

As a final opinion of this CD, I believe Gretchen Wilson fans will appreciate the consistency and growth she demonstrates with this release. With All Jacked Up, her fan base of teenage girls and women in their twenties will continue to grow and expand to include people of other demographics. Because her style is somewhat revolutionary, she will continue to bring non-country listeners into the genre. At the same time, self-proclaimed traditionalists will shun her and try to downplay her success. Gretchen Wilson has definitely made her mark in country music and she is here to stay. I believe she will make history several times over, and All Jacked Up will be a major factor in her success. I give this CD four out of five stars!

I was devastated when I found out that this CD has copy-protection software. I love Wilson and eagerly anticipated this CD, but now that the ass-clowns at the record label have made this CD copy-protected, it's worthless to me. Memo to the music industry: make your CDs compatible with iTunes! Otherwise, expect CD sales to continue to suffer. Avoid!

Gretchen has the ability to make great songs, and she does that on this album. All Jacked Up is a classic, song of the year material, and One Bud Wiser is way up there as well. There are also a few weak ones, such as a rather staid and dated Full Time Job and Politically Uncorrect. California Girls is well done, but taking jabs at other women, even Paris Hilton, is unnecessary. This girl is an amazing talent, but I suspect is getting messed up by the Nashville suits. A little artistic freedom would make her one of the greatest.