Luke Bryan’s ‘Crash My Party’: New Album Getting Subpar Reviews, One critic even goes so far as to say that Luke ‘flashily strikes out’ this time around. Ouch!
Country fans may be pumped for the Aug. 13 release of Luke Bryan‘s fourth studio album Crash My Party, but before they start spending all their money at their local record stories — just kidding, iTunes! — they might want to hear what the critics have to say about Luke’s new disc. With less-than-flattering adjectives like “formulaic” and “predictable,” reviewers are panning the country crooner’s latest effort.
A few tunes here transcend their formulaic trappings, including the heartfelt ‘Dirt Road Diary’ and the gauzy summer-at-the-beach memories of ‘Roller Coaster.’ But the majority of the record is given over to ‘Party’ games we’ve heard Bryan — and many others in contemporary country — play before.
What Bryan’s fourth album doesn’t offer is many surprises. The current Academy of Country Music entertainer of the year, Bryan sticks with souped-up country rockers and romantic ballads about how guys who like to fish and guzzle beer and drive pickup trucks do better with women and generally have more fun than their counterparts.
Where Bryan runs into trouble is when he stretches too far. He struggles with the tempo changes and the rocker vibe of ‘I See You,’ while ‘That’s My Kind of Night’ is overstuffed with lyrics and musical ideas that never quite fit together. Bryan should take it as a sign that the one time he seems to swing for the fences, he flashily strikes out.
It sounds like some critics think Luke should have taken more risks on the album, while others think he took too many. Do you think they’re all being too harsh?
Country fans may be pumped for the Aug. 13 release of Luke Bryan‘s fourth studio album Crash My Party, but before they start spending all their money at their local record stories — just kidding, iTunes! — they might want to hear what the critics have to say about Luke’s new disc. With less-than-flattering adjectives like “formulaic” and “predictable,” reviewers are panning the country crooner’s latest effort.
A few tunes here transcend their formulaic trappings, including the heartfelt ‘Dirt Road Diary’ and the gauzy summer-at-the-beach memories of ‘Roller Coaster.’ But the majority of the record is given over to ‘Party’ games we’ve heard Bryan — and many others in contemporary country — play before.
What Bryan’s fourth album doesn’t offer is many surprises. The current Academy of Country Music entertainer of the year, Bryan sticks with souped-up country rockers and romantic ballads about how guys who like to fish and guzzle beer and drive pickup trucks do better with women and generally have more fun than their counterparts.
Where Bryan runs into trouble is when he stretches too far. He struggles with the tempo changes and the rocker vibe of ‘I See You,’ while ‘That’s My Kind of Night’ is overstuffed with lyrics and musical ideas that never quite fit together. Bryan should take it as a sign that the one time he seems to swing for the fences, he flashily strikes out.
It sounds like some critics think Luke should have taken more risks on the album, while others think he took too many. Do you think they’re all being too harsh?
