On their third album together, Big Kenny and John Rich go to extremes.

The first half of Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace is all ballads—a gutsy move that forces the listener to confront the thoughtfulness and depth that has always been obscured by the flashy duo’s ringmaster routine.

The second half finally gives us the over-the-top Big & Rich party anthems we expected upfront, highlighted by a wonderfully deranged duet with rapper Wyclef Jean (“Please Man”) and a jaunty honky-tonk take on AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long.”