Tracks like the lead single, What Hurts The Most and Words I Couldn't Say express the pain of words left unsaid. Both tracks capture the pain of lost love pretty well, as is typical for these guys. The vocals are strong, the lyrics are good, and the music is inherently country. The combination of the three is an excellent melding into a great song.
However, don't get the idea that these guys are stuck in a constant state of depression from lost love. Though much of the disc is filled with the pain (or lack of pain) from lost love (Yes I Do, Pieces, and I Feel Bad), just as much of the disc is devoted to having a good time. The disc's lead-off song, Stand, is all about staying strong when times get rough. And lyrically, it actually provides some strong metaphors that aren't necessarily expected of these guys. The title track, Me And My Gang, is all about having a good time with "the gang," nothing more, nothing less. It's one of those tracks that more than a few close-knit groups of friends will adopt as "their song." And don't think that the guys of Rascal Flatts take themselves too seriously, because they find time on this disc to do a little satire of their own style of music. Backwards is a song that even the country music haters in the world will love, because it takes an amusing look at country music and what happens when you play a country song backwards (Apparently, you get a lot of things back, including your house, your dog, your first and second wives, your best friend, your hair, and so on).
There are a couple serious songs on this disc as well. Two of the best tracks on the disc, Cool Thing and He Ain't The Leavin' Kind take on two very different topics. Cool Thing is focused on not being worried about finding love and just having a wonderful time. The lyrics are certainly fun-loving, but they also take on a more serious tone. He Ain't The Leavin' Kind, on the other hand, deals with God. The track expresses Him as someone who isn't leaving you. Whether you believe in Him or not, whether His name is being replaced and taken off of everything, whether you hate Him for what He has done and taken away from you, He isn't leaving you. It's a strong message and it's truly the best song on the disc.
Overall, Me And My Gang is very typically Rascal Flatts. If you're looking for a different side of this band, don't bother. If you're looking for something that shows improvement over the previous disc, then this is definitely a disc worth looking at. The vocals continue to grow tighter, the music stays solid, and the lyrics continue to grow more mature while keeping a fun-loving attitude toward it all. Me And My Gang is certainly one of the year's top releases early on in 2006.