What Jackson shouldn't have done

It's generally a pretty bad sign when you skip the first track on a new album. The first track should draw you in, get you excited, turn you on, not push you away. But Alan Jackson seems to have missed out on this principle when putting together his new album, What I Do.\nThe first song, "Too Much of a Good Thing," moves too slowly and drones along too methodically to get anyone to look forward to listening to the rest of the album. The album improves once you get past the beginning, but it's not enough to save it entirely.\nWith two big hits over the last few years in "Remember When" and "Live Like I Was Dying," Alan Jackson was set for a third, but nothing screams chart-topper in the new release. "Rainy Day in June" or "USA Today" could be breakouts, but as a whole, the album portrays too lamenting a mindset to stay in the CD player for more than a day at a time. Sure country music is about love lost, but couldn't we get another "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere"?\nBut this album is something more than a collection of love songs -- it's a sign. The trend in country music today is moving away from Alan Jackson. It's the Kenny Chesneys and even Tim McGraws getting a new ear for pop music. Country music today is mellowing out -- you don't hear the banjos you used to; you hear Uncle Kracker singing a duet. What I Do shows Alan Jackson just isn't getting it. Sure he teamed up with Jimmy Buffet for a really great song, but apparently that new level of acceptance was just too much for him and he decided to return to his purer roots.\nBut What I Do shows an even more disturbing trend. On the back cover of the album along the left-hand side a warning appears. It reads: "FBI Anti-Piracy Warning: Unauthorized copying is punishable under federal law." Now, no one knows if this was Jackson's decision or his record company's, but what a turn off. If I'm reading the label, I've already bought the album. You already have my money. Shouldn't you be thanking me for my $13 rather than warning me not to share it with my friends -- not that this album warrants sharing. I have a problem with artists who don't have more respect for their listeners.\nBasically, if you like Alan Jackson, go for it, but don't pirate it -- the FBI will get you!