Over the past couple years, we've had no shortage of new male acts burst on to the scene. And while the results haven't always been great, or even good for that matter, each of these acts have something unique about them. Brett Eldredge? Killer baritone. Tyler Farr? Textured vocals. Thomas Rhett? Endless charisma. Then you get to Cole Swindell. And before I start, let me say that I like "Chillin' It". I'm kind of burnt out on it right now, but I think it's a catchy, laid-back, solid summer tune. That said, there is nothing, I repeat, NOTHING that stands out about this album. Is it awful? No. There are only a couple real cringe-worthy moments here, but overall it is just an insanely dull and boring album. From the melodies, to the production, to the vocals, to the production, to the lyrics. It is painfully generic.
But among the sea of sound-a-likes, are two gems. Those two are second single "Hope You Get Lonely Tonight" and "A Dozen Roses and a Six-Pack". The former is a request for the narrator's girl to come over and "hang out" if she gets lonely. The latter is about a man who tries to win his girl back, but is prepared either way claiming "I got a dozen roses if she comes home, and a six-pack if she don't".
Other than those two and aforementioned "Chillin' It", there is nothing here. "Hey Y'all", though better than expected, is simply party-filler and nothing more. The title really tells you all you need to know. "Swayin" is boring and uninspired, and I really want to like "I Just Want You" more than I do, and while sincere, feels somewhat forced and cheesy. "Down Home Boys" is an attempt to honor close friends and acquaintances, but is loaded with cliches. Florida-Georgia Line did it much better with the album cut "People Back Home".
The one absolute dud is "Brought To You By Beer". That song is an absolute piece of crap, and a disaster of a novelty attempt and has no business being recorded, and is really scraping the bottom of the bro barrel.
What doesn't help matters is that there's nothing special about Swindell's voice at all. It's not bad per say, like this album, is generic. That said, he does have some charisma on a lot of these tracks, but that can only elevate them from "bad" to "tolerable".
At best Cole Swindell is a tolerable album that can be used as background noise. At worst it shows that bro-country is alive and well, and still dominant.
Top Tracks: "Chillin' It", "Hope You Get Lonely Tonight", "A Dozen Roses and a Six-Pack"
But among the sea of sound-a-likes, are two gems. Those two are second single "Hope You Get Lonely Tonight" and "A Dozen Roses and a Six-Pack". The former is a request for the narrator's girl to come over and "hang out" if she gets lonely. The latter is about a man who tries to win his girl back, but is prepared either way claiming "I got a dozen roses if she comes home, and a six-pack if she don't".
Other than those two and aforementioned "Chillin' It", there is nothing here. "Hey Y'all", though better than expected, is simply party-filler and nothing more. The title really tells you all you need to know. "Swayin" is boring and uninspired, and I really want to like "I Just Want You" more than I do, and while sincere, feels somewhat forced and cheesy. "Down Home Boys" is an attempt to honor close friends and acquaintances, but is loaded with cliches. Florida-Georgia Line did it much better with the album cut "People Back Home".
The one absolute dud is "Brought To You By Beer". That song is an absolute piece of crap, and a disaster of a novelty attempt and has no business being recorded, and is really scraping the bottom of the bro barrel.
What doesn't help matters is that there's nothing special about Swindell's voice at all. It's not bad per say, like this album, is generic. That said, he does have some charisma on a lot of these tracks, but that can only elevate them from "bad" to "tolerable".
At best Cole Swindell is a tolerable album that can be used as background noise. At worst it shows that bro-country is alive and well, and still dominant.
Top Tracks: "Chillin' It", "Hope You Get Lonely Tonight", "A Dozen Roses and a Six-Pack"
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