2 out of 5 stars
Nashville is at war with itself. More traditional country records are being released by artists such as Zach Top and Megan Moroney, while artists like Tanner Adell and Kane Brown are blending traditional elements of country music with pop music. For Adell, it works — her single “Honkytonk Heartbreak” lends itself perfectly to a line dance; Brown…not so much.
His new album “The High Road” is a mess of country, pop and rock, and none of the genres blend seamlessly with the others. The album consists of 18 songs totaling 58 minutes of listening. While he has some strong songs on the album, the album as a whole lacks artistry.
“I Am,” the first song on the album, starts off strong with a sick guitar riff. The guitar provides a steady rhythm while the piano fills in the melody. This promising start turns to disappointment when the beat drops in for the chorus, and autotune becomes prevalent when Brown sings the words, “I am” six times.
“Fiddle in the Band” is a perfect song to dance a little West Coast swing dance to at a honkytonk, but it has no business being on this album. Released as a single, the song could stand on its own merit. On the album, it is lost, dwarfed by the songs around it.
In “Backseat Driver,” Brown sings about being inspired by his little girl. It brings to mind the song “Watching You” by Rodney Atkins. In both songs, the artists sing about the things they learn from having their child in the backseat while they’re driving. They’re sentimental and sweet, but Atkins’ song doesn’t suffer from the overproduction that Brown’s song does.
“Miles On It” creates a distinct shift in tone. Instead of sentimental and loving like the track before, it is a song about dancing all night long. The shift in narrative is jarring. “Miles On It” and “Fiddle in the Band” would have worked better as an EP.
The tone shifts once again with the next song on the album, “Says I Can.” The song speaks of a night spent with his lover: “This bottle of bourbon / That cigarette burning / This old vinyl record / Says that I can.” If Brown was going for Bro-Country, he achieved it.
By the seventh song on the album, “Rescue,” featuring Khalid, the listener is left with a distinct feeling of listening to a queue of music created by people with different tastes.
“Haunted” takes the listener on a sharp turn down a dirt road back into country rock. Jelly Roll, a collaborator on the track, rescues the song and gives Brown credibility. Jelly Roll brings authenticity that Brown lacks throughout the album.
Thankfully, “Start a Fire” keeps the listener on that same country road. It’s a good song. Brown uses a traditional country swing rhythm and taps into his artistry as a songwriter.
The listeners’ pleasant amble down the backroad is rudely interrupted by “Body Talk.” Brown sings it with his wife, Katelyn Brown. The song would thrive as a pop single but sandwiched between two country songs, its power is diminished.
“Gorgeous” takes the listener right back to that country road, as if the wannabe-pop interruption never happened. The song itself is generic and weak. Brown sings of the way his wife is beautiful inside and out but in cliches, “It ain’t your smile / Ain’t your hair / Ain’t them diamonds that you wear … It’s the beautiful inside / That makes you gorgeous.”
By the time “Beside Me” plays, the listener has been tossed about in the hurricane winds of genre confusion. With a slower tempo and more poetic lyrics, “You turn a gray sky blue when I look in your eyes,” the song brings a welcome reprieve and a sweet moment.
The last four songs on the album are genuine country music. In “Back Around,” Brown sings of karma and high school heartbreak, “What goes around comes back around / You left me for him / And he left town.” In “Stay” and “Do Us Apart,” Brown sings of love. He pulls these last four songs together with “When You Forget,” a heart-wrenching song about losing a loved one to memory loss.
Brown hits his stride on these last four songs. His voice is clear, and his narrative is compelling. If the rest of the album rang as true as the last four, it would be a top-tier record.
Overall, “The High Road” is jumbled. There is no sense of flow through narrative or genre. The listener is taken on a rollercoaster with sharp left turns and steep drops. It sounds from start to finish as if it was put on shuffle. Aside from a few songs, the album is a flop. Brown doesn’t know who he is as an artist, and it’s painfully clear in this album.
Photo courtesy of JamBase.