The country-pop sensation himself is back with his fourth studio album and follow-up to last year’s Bones. Coming in at the tail end of the bro-country era, he quickly established himself and has become a household name, and not just back home! We even had the privilege of seeing him at The Long Road last year, and had a blast. So, of course we wanted to give this release a full review and really sink our teeth into it!
‘Dust’ is a beautiful, chilled-out way to open the album. It perfectly sets up Russel’s sound and what he’s all about; the perfect country-pop song! A simple acoustic guitar and electric drums verse builds to an expectedly massive, catchy chorus, like Dickerson does so perfectly. The lyrics are a little cheese-country, but so well written that it’s easy to look past. It’s a simple radio-friendly pop song, but an awesome Russel Dickerson song and the perfect way to open the album!
Next up is one of the handful of singles, ‘Sippin on Top of the World’. It’s got ever so slightly more of a rock edge to it, with the acoustic drums and a great guitar lead opening things up. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still about as rock as the Jonas Brothers, but it definitely has slightly more of an edge to it than the opener. The stripped-back verses lead to another huge, stadium-filling chorus. It’s easy to see why it’s such a big single already too, and was one hell a choice as one! It’s an excellent country song overall, and a very easy early highlight!
‘Happen to Me’ slows things down a little again, the guitar sound honestly giving a touch of a y’allternative vibe to it, especially with the pop-punk pre. It’s a nice change of pace for the album already that I honestly wasn’t expecting. It once again builds to another awesome, massive chorus, and immediately it’s another track that easily makes it onto our playlist.
‘Worth Your Wild’ is the most Russel Dickerson song I think I’ve ever heard, and I love it! It’s that perfect blend of country, pop and rock that he does so well, and is one of the best choruses he’s maybe ever done. It’s another that was an incredibly good choice to be a single, and has clearly done very well for him already! The lyrics here are pretty great too, and we even get a cheeky little guitar solo tucked away in the middle! It’s a strong contender for a ‘song for the rest of summer’ and is up there with one of my favourite he’s ever done, honestly.
The pace and energy chills back out massively for ‘Heard it in a Country Song’. It’s incrediblely simple in its arrangment of just some Spanish guitaring, basic electric drums and Russel’s amazing vocals. Honestly, it gives off slight Buffet vibes, but of course more modernised. Somewhere between that and Latin pop, and makes for a really interesting listen. There’s a surprising amount going on in the track too, with some piano and organ chiming in at times throughout, but it’s all so chilled it’s easy to miss. I love it as a change of pace as much as a track on its own!
Tracks like ‘Sunrise in my Silverado’, ‘For a Truck’ and ‘Love that I Love You’ are all more typical Russel songs and exactly what you’d expect from the pop-country legend at this point. All three are excellent tracks, with the latter specifically being another huge high point on the album, but there isn’t much variety through them. Still, they’re easy to listen to for sure, fit the album perfectly and are of course more beautiful love songs to his wife.
‘Never Leave’ is the ballad of the album, a stripped-back, simple, slower track that mainly focuses on Russel’s vocals, minimal instrumentation behind it. It’s a beautiful track, with the lyrics being a real focal point and being solid. And, while we’ve had slower tracks already, this again has a different feel and is another great change of pace. It’s Russel’s best vocal performance on the album, and if you like the slower stuff this is definitely one to check out!
‘Bones’ feels like a slightly cheek addition to the album, as it was the main track from his EP last year. It’s a good song and still fits onto the album pretty perfectly, but has obviously been out over a year in multiple different incarnations now. It might have been cool to have had it reworked for the album somehow, but then it may not have fit on the release so well.
’16 Me’ is another slower ballad-like song, but has a little more going on on it than ‘Never Leave’. Then, the albums title track and latest single takes us home in style, somehow feeling like a combination/culmination of most that came before. It’s on the slower end again, but that chorus is incredible, and it feels like the track builds towards it and around it perfectly. It’s another fantastic choice for a single and a really great way to close out the album, even if the last handful of songs have been on the slower side, now!
Overall: This is another really great addition to his growing discography. It feels like the man can’t put out anything bad at this point, and I’d put this up there alongside any of his other releases in terms of quality. He’s certainly not for everyone, but you know exactly what to expect heading into the album with him and he delivers every time, including here. It’s packed full of fun, catchy, emotional moments, and I’d recommend it to any country fan out there!
The Score: 8/10