Music
Man Against Machine
The country superstar is back to remind you how he got there
Y’all counted out Chris Gaines, but after 13 years, Garth Brooks returns with one of the year’s best accidental rock albums. There’s no Auto-Tune to smooth his rusty voice, so it’s more weathered and honest than the man who left the spotlight. The lyrics play like a sly spin on classic Garth: On “She’s Tired of Boys,” he’s on the other side of the May-December romance from 1992’s “That Summer,” and the woman doesn’t lose her man to the “Rodeo” – she herself rides. With ripping guitar solos, Aerosmith-style strings and gospel-tinged background vocals, this is a record that could take Eric to Church.