No flash in the pan, Jason Aldean has grown from album to album, deftly improving on each previous project. His latest release continues the upward momentum.

First single and title cut “My Kinda Party” has already made its mark at radio with a Southern-rock-meets-Bryan-Adams-meets-early-Tim-McGraw vibe.

“Dirt Road Anthem” finds Jason convincingly displaying his own take on Southern rap, while his power-ballad duet with Kelly Clarkson, “Don’t You Wanna Stay,” could be a huge crossover hit if Jason wanted to dip his toe into those waters.

Aldean admirers shouldn’t worry that their boy is entertaining thoughts of leaving the country format, though. Songs such as “Church Pew or Bar Stool” and the view-from-30,000-feet-inspired “Fly Over States,” not to mention “Country Boy’s World,” which name-checks Rome, Ga., and Florence, Ala., leave no doubt that Aldean’s allegiances lie with the small-town, working-class fans who have readily embraced him.