Dierks Bentley pumps up the fun factor on the rollicking “Flatliner” (check out the pair adlibbing at the end), and as funny as “No Can Left Behind” is ( “We’re on a cold case mission / I’ve got your back if you’ve got mine”), it’s arguably one of the most memorable songs on the album. Swindell’s youthful positioning basically requires a few no-apologies party tunes, and on You Should Be Here those are standouts. It’s a bleeding-heart midtempo, a tough-luck story about meeting the perfect girl, only to watch her friends steal her away before getting a phone number. New single “Middle of a Memory” features a wounded, drum-machined heartbeat as its foundation. Heartbreak is woven through several more tracks, such as “Stay Downtown” which Swindell described as the natural conclusion to his hit, “Hope You Get Lonely Tonight.” Where that one found a guy waiting patiently for a booty call, “Stay Downtown” is what ends up playing out when the excitement wears off and the relationship fails to progress.Įlsewhere, there’s plenty more romance in the LP’s different phases, like “Home Game” with its good-ole-days approach, “Making My Way to You” – “the love song on the album,” according to Swindell – and the gentlemanly “Remember Boys.” “Whether it’s sad, pumps you up or it’s breakup songs, it’s all real life things.” “That’s why I’ve always loved country music,” he declares.
Sad and slow, it works with a hook that’s relatable to pretty much all of rural America: “ Baby I’m broke down / And it ain’t the truck this time.” In fact, the first song he shared was a heartbreaker called “Broke Down” that features a reference to old-school Tim McGraw in the first line. But while many of his contemporaries have moved on to a world of cornfield EDM, Swindell only sprinkles in the beats and effects, sticking with an undeniably country backbone.ĭressed ballcap-to-boots in black, Swindell’s acoustic performance at Ruby was taped to air on Sirius XM’s The Highway later that night, and it proved he’s committed to meaningful songs and a sound that’s built on the shoulders of Nineties country giants. During the bro-country kerfuffle, the singer usually made the list, and his new songs don’t shy away from girls or beer or trucks. Produced by Michael Carter (Bryan’s lead guitarist), the project’s 12 tracks (14 if you pick up the deluxe edition from Target or iTunes), include seven co-written by Swindell himself. And judging by the six songs performed by he and his songwriting pals at Ruby, the country star’s hot streak will continue for quite some time. Indeed, You Should Be Here looks strong right out of the gate thanks to its deeply personal title track, all about the unexpected loss of Swindell’s father. “This record takes what was a platinum album with four consecutive Number One singles to a whole new level.” “When we were thinking about him as an artist to sign, we knew he had a depth of songwriting that was profound,” said John Esposito, President of Warner Music Nashville. To say this is a great start is beyond an understatement – it’s one of the best in contemporary country, and it couldn’t be happening to a more humble, hardworking guy.
During the party, his self-titled debut album was certified platinum, and it was pointed out that a few years earlier (as in, before downloading), it would likely already be triple or quadruple platinum. Three others (“Chillin’ It,” “Hope You Get Lonely Tonight” and “Ain’t Worth the Whiskey”) have all reached platinum status, and his first single from the new record, “You Should Be Here,” has already racked up over 32 million streams, 576,000 tracks sold and 16 million YouTube views. One has been certified Gold (“Let Me See Ya Girl”), and that was the disappointing one. His first five songs have all gone to Number One. Held in a renovated church now called Ruby in Nashville’s leafy Hillsboro Village neighborhood, the party made it clear that for a while now, Cole’s days have been charmed.
0 kommentar(er)
