*** BRAD PAISLEY, “Part II, “ Arista Nashville

Paisley’s 1999 debut album, “Who Needs Pictures,” got him pegged in some circles as the savior of traditional country music, a potentially crushing burden to place on any artist out of the gate. But the West Virginian rises to the challenge with a sharper and more assured follow-up (in stores Tuesday).

Mainstream country typically panders to audience expectations, which makes Paisley’s polite defiance of conventional wisdom so refreshing. He’s not a particularly profound writer nor a bowl-you-over singer--his chief strength is the way he understands and wields the element of surprise.

Without any repetition, he again keeps listeners guessing in the best moments of this hotly anticipated sophomore album, for which he co-wrote 10 of the 13 songs.

Such lighthearted numbers as “I’m Gonna Miss Her,” “Come On Over Tonight” and “All You Really Need Is Love” avoid the pitfall of simple novelty, thanks to understated truths behind the humor.

His own ballads are a bit more generic, but he does a nice job with Darrell Scott’s “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive.” One sure sign of “Part II’s” success is the anticipation it raises for “Part III.”

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.