"Often, the question of rocking hinges on a matter of volume: the party songs are slightly louder due to the preponderance of guitars, not due to quicker rhythms or any suggestion of chaos. By marching all 15 songs to the same deliberate beat, Aldean winds up creating the illusion that he's running in place ... He seems settled in his skin, knowing he's at his best in a maudlin minor key, and that shift is welcome even if it accidentally accentuates just how slowly They Don't Know plods".