It wasn’t that Jason Aldean’s first two records—his self-titled 2005 debut and 2007’s Relentless—were commercial slouches; both of them went Platinum. But 2009’s Wide Open brought Aldean the kind of success that vaulted him into the spotlight and has kept him in the country music conversation since. Maintaining the Georgia native’s fondness for a mix of hard-edged outlaw fare and heavy Southern rock, Wide Open turned Aldean into a certified superstar, selling out arena tours to fans who were looking for a little rock ‘n’ roll in their Nashville-approved tunes. Wide Open delivered Aldean his first No. 1 songs since 2006’s “Why.” The lead-off single, “She’s Country,” fused hard-rock riffs and a fiery guitar solo with spirited fiddle to create a rollicking tailgate tune. But the album’s follow-up chart-toppers were decidedly more sensitive—for the soulful “Big Green Tractor,” Aldean paints pastoral scenes of the country life he and his sweetheart can enjoy instead of heading out on the town; and on “The Truth,” a sunshine-y acoustic strum is juxtaposed with the pleading of a heartbroken man for mercy from his former lover, who he hopes will tell people he’s not still hung up on her. The record’s final single, “Crazy Town,” celebrates and skewers Nashville’s industry machine in a swaggering cadence that anticipates the bro country that would begin taking over airwaves in the early 2010s. Aldean didn’t have to reinvent the wheel to secure chart success, either; like Jason Aldean and Relentless before it, Wide Open finds the singer choosing his songs wisely. He sticks to his everyman vibe and workhorse vocals, and he continues to hone his sound with producer Michael Knox, who went on to produce Aldean’s studio albums well into the 2020s. Sometimes time and a little elbow grease are all it takes.