The Tennessee born country singer is set to put out his sixth studio album this coming Friday. I have to admit that I’m not particularly familiar with Dustin Lynch ‘s work, which is crazy given how big he is, so have been excited to check this out since we got the email through!
The album’s title track opens things perfectly, setting the scene and tone for the rest of the album. A slow, low acoustic riff is built on by Dustin Lynch ‘s incredible, powerful vocals. It soon explodes into a typically stadium-filling country chorus, catchy and massive. It’s great. The production on the album immediately stands out. There isn’t a massive amount going on, a couple of guitars, some electronic drums and the vocals, but it all sounds huge. While the track still follows the typical recent pop trends of the genre, it definitely has a darker, slightly rockier feel to it. It reminds me of the likes of Jelly Roll and Jason Aldean. Heck, it even has an all too short fiddle solo tucked in the middle. It’s a fantastic choice for an opening track and introduction to Dustin for anyone, including me!
‘Honky Tonk Heartbreaker’ is immediately more upbeat and more traditional country than its predecessor. From the fiddles to the acoustic drums to the slightly distorted major guitar chords, it’s a foot-stomper for sure. The lyrics are very typical country too, in the best ways. It reminds me a lot more of Jon Pardi. It’s another awesome, infectiously catchy chorus, but all the vocals are pretty memorable! It is a simple structure but you know exactly what to expect and it’s impossible not to enjoy it. It’s a fantastic track and easily makes our playlist!
‘George Strait Jr’ is another fun track, more of a slower, ballady acoustic track than anything else. Unfortunately those pesky electric drums are back, but generally it doesn’t bother me too much through the track. It’s another great track, and I kinda like that the chorus is at the same level as everything else. I imagine it’d be amazing live. This is what a lot of people would probably think of when they hear the word country, and it’s one hell of a great example!
Funnily enough, after mentioning him just a little earlier, it was a nice surprise to see Jelly Roll guesting on ‘Chevrolet’. Surprisingly too, the track is a lot more like the previous song, not the one I’d even compared to Jelly. It’s a simple, acoustic country track, like one you’d hear around a campfire. It was weird to hear Jelly Roll’s voice over it, and, probably controversially, I don’t think it fit all that well. Still, it didn’t ruin the track by any stretch, and the female harmonies in the choruses and bridge were amazing. It’s a simple track that’s a lot of fun!
Tracks like ‘If I Stop Drinkin”, ‘Only Girl in This Town’ and ‘Breakin’ Up Down’ are more slower country ballads. They’re three more great tracks that I’m going to struggle to get out of my head in the coming hours/days.
‘Trouble with this Truck’ picks up the pace and mood slightly again. It’s another fun track with a huge, catchy chorus. It’s still a breakup song, don’t get me wrong, but the higher tempo was a nice change of pace after a lot of similar tracks. It is a country anthem that could be put up against any other big hit this year in terms of quality. Another one that makes the playlist!
‘Blue Lights’ is another fantastic track. It’s another ballad track, but the way it explodes into a massive chorus is amazing. It’s pretty rock in its writing and structure, again reminding me of Aldean and also HARDY. The chorus alone puts the track on our playlist, but the whole track is honestly amazing. If you check out anything from this album, make sure it’s this!
The final three tracks of the album are more of the fantastic same. I’d love to talk about each song, but honestly I’d just be repeating myself over and over and it makes for a very boring review!
Overall: This was awesome! I’m rather critical when it comes to country albums, but honestly this was really good. For a start, at only 12 tracks it wasn’t too long, like most albums of the genre these days. And every single song was of the upmost quality, there isn’t a bad track on the whole album. Dustin is a seasoned professional who has put out one of the strongest country albums of the year here, and definitely has a new fan in me!
The Score: 8.5/10