Luke Bryan, “Country On” | Track Review

Country superstar Luke Bryan comes from a good place with his single, “Country On.”  The problem is that he’s predictable and fails to evolve.

“I

say, ‘Hey, hey USA /We ain’t seen our better days’ / Hell naw, hey y’all / Country on.” Good intentions don’t always yield good results. Luke Bryan clearly has good intentions on his single, “Country On”.  He seeks to highlight what is great about the U.S.A., showing incredible patriotism.  Also, during turbulent times, including political and social unrest, his focus is celebrating the greatest country in the world. Give the veteran country musician and his songwriters credit for intent and sentiment on “Country On.”  The problem is, I’m not sold that “Country On” is really ‘on’ as in being a well-rounded record.

While the intent and sentiment are firmly in place for Luke, everything else is meh at best.  Sure, Luke Bryan sings “Country On” well, or at least, true to his twanged-out, country style, but it doesn’t ‘blow me a way.’ Of course, to be fair, I’m not the core Luke Bryan base, so, this song isn’t intended for me.  Still, every time I hear the titular lyric uttered, I find myself cringing a bit; couldn’t there have been a less ‘corny’ more authentic lyric? Also, another criticism of the writing is that it’s cliché to the n^th degree, particularly for Bryan.  Admittedly, I role my eyes when the first lyric is “Hey, farm boy, keep droppin’ that plow…” We’ve been there, done that!

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Final Thoughts  

Here’s the deal.  If you are a fan of Luke Bryan, as is, with little evolution, you’ll be onboard with “Country On”.  If you are a more casual listener, and not a big-time country music fan, you’ll be left desiring more.  I appreciate the idea behind “Country On,” but after listening I just don’t feel the intended inspiration as much as I’d like to.

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Luke Bryan • “Country On” • Capitol Nashville • 7.1.22

[: Brent Faulkner, Capitol Nashville, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]

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