Brad Paisley

The lazy shuffle, down-home twang, and longing title of Brad Paisley's "I'm Gonna Miss Her" might suggest a classic country moaner. Listen closer, and it's clear that the song's romantic mourner is actually taking his own sweet time to get around to heartache. That twist on the traditional is Paisley's stock in trade, as the country hit-maker crafts tracks like the all's-well look back "Letter to Me," and the country-rock come on "Ticks," with an old friend of a voice, blazing six-string skills, and a love of tradition leavened with a modern perspective and a healthy dose of good-natured humor.

More Brad Paisley country awaits in Next Steps.

A performer since his teens, Brad Paisley has had a lifetime to explore his love of music, and it shows in the range of tunes the country titan takes on. Tunes like Paisley's crazy Bakersfield instrumental "The Nervous Breakdown," which throws a hot spotlight onto the man's way with a guitar, or the hushed ballad "Oh Love," featuring a lush and lovely duet with country idol Carrie Underwood. The soundtrack seeker "Find Yourself," from Cars, extends a tender lesson in being true to yourself — just like Paisley is — while "I'm Still a Guy" offers up a honky-tonk tribute to hard-headed, good-hearted lunks.

Don't stop here — explore more of Brad Paisley's one-of-a-kind catalog in Deep Cuts.

Collect the cream of Brad Paisley's overlooked album tracks, one-offs, and creative collaborations with one easy Deep Cuts download. We've gathered together everything from the bittersweet hit duet with Chely Wright, "Hard to Be a Husband, Hard to Be a Wife," to the bright-eyed June Carter Cash tribute "Keep On the Sunny Side," to the traditional inspirational "The Old Rugged Cross." Meanwhile, Brad lives it up with the guys as a guest guitarist on Albert Lee's instrumental "Luxury Liner," and on the fun-loving twist on sonic season's greetings, "Kung Pao Buckaroo Holiday (Featuring the Kung Pao Buckaroos)."

Brad Paisley got his start the way many country crooners do — performing as a boy in his hometown church. The West Virginia kid with a love for all things country was launched on the local airwaves soon after, and there he honed his skills and groomed his good-natured persona for stardom. When his 1999 solo debut produced not one but two hits — the heart-tugging ode to a loving step dad, "He Didn't Have to Be," the swoony new-love story song "We Danced" — Paisley's talent for traditional sounds with a distinctly individual twist went big time. Our Brad Paisley Essentials brings you the best of his modern country, from the clever send-up of superstar bad behavior "Celebrity," to the note-perfect duet with legend Dolly Parton on "When I Get Where I'm Going," to "She's Everything," a breathtaking ballad that's everything you ever wanted in a love song.