Rascal Flatts Barely Played Any Instruments on Their First Few Albums.

There was a time when people would trash RASCAL FLATTS by calling them a boy band. Especially guitarist JOE DON ROONEY. Turns out that was only part of the reason. They were considered lightweights because their record company insisted on bringing in session musicians to play most of the instruments on their first few albums. The band hated it, but there was nothing they could do. Bassist JAY DEMARCUS told the "Chicago Tribune", quote, "I didn't play a lot on those albums and I was pissed." Once they were established, they brought in their friend, producer Dann Huff. He let them play. Joe Don says, quote, "Dann was a big proponent of having us play and bring our personalities into the music. Not only our voices, but our personalities. "He really opened that door and that trust window with (our label) to allow us to be the musicians we are. All of a sudden, you hear these songs and they're just a little bit different. You can hear a growth and maturity." By the way, the first album that they consider entirely their own was 2006's "Me and My Gang". They've released three albums since then, "Still Feels Good", "Unstoppable" and "Nothing Like This". So, the early albums that were DOMINATED BY THE MAN were their self-titled debut album followed by "Melt" and then "Feels Like Today".