Even if you don’t like country music, you still like Thomas Rhett. If you don’t like Thomas Rhett, then you want his love life after hearing this album.. let’s be real.
I think we all know country music is changing. It’s been up for debate whether it’s a good or bad thing. Thomas Rhett has definitely not let critics stop him. His album includes a little bit of everything, from singing country with his dad, Rhett Akins, in “Drink A Little Beer,” to soul R&B in “Kiss Me Like A Stranger,” and finally to EDM in “Leave Right Now.” Thomas Rhett for sure has a variety of genres on “Life Changes”, and the best part is that he’s written 10 out of 12 of the new songs.
If you haven’t listened to Life Changes yet, let me give you a quick summary before we get into detail….
Now that you get my quick synopsis on how obsessed I am, let’s get behind the scenes on some of the different country vibes..
“Leave Right Now,” written by Julian Bunetta, Ed Drewett, John Henry Ryan, and Thomas Rhett.
Right after hearing this song for the first time, I knew there were some Chainsmokers/Zedd vibes. Thomas says from The Boot “This song started out just three dudes and a guitar; there was no element of EDM in this song at all, until it got to be about two or three o’clock in the morning, and we all decided that everything was a better idea than it actually was.” Julian Bunetta, who has written many hits for One Direction over the years, was the one who came up with the built electronic post-chorus, or what we all like to call the “bass drop.” You don’t see the bass drop coming at all, and I think that’s what makes this song most unique. This song certainly stands out from the entire album, and is definitely one of my favorites.
“Drink A Little Beer” written by Rhett Akins, Jesse Frasure, and Ben Hayslip.
This song is probably the most old-school country mixed with new country that you’ll hear on the album. Thomas says, “My dad sent me this song in an email; his email said, I know you will never cut this, but I wanted you to hear it. I think when your dad tells you you will never do something, it makes you want to do it more.” I think this song definitely throws back to some of Thomas’ old stuff, like from his album It Goes Like This. Involving his dad in his album has been just a touch of what family means to him, which is a never ending theme in ‘Life Changes”.
“Kiss Me Like A Stranger” written by Dave Barnes, Jordan Reynolds, and Thomas Rhett.
Of course, what’s a Thomas Rhett album without a “feel good” song? This is an old school romantic ballad with a soul, R&B flare. If his goal was to bring back Barry White sounds, he nailed it. If you didn’t get a “You’re The first, My Last, My Everything” feel then you probably need to listen closer. Actually not probably, you just do. Thomas says from The Boot, ” I don’t know what to call it, but it’s my take on a Marvin Gaye-meets-Barry Manilow kind of thing.” He says his love for doo-wop comes from his grandparents; they influenced him on Carole King And The Drifters. Sometimes I think Thomas asks himself, “what kind of sound have I not yet tried?” and then somehow pulls nostalgic-feeling songs that make you wonder how he pulled that lyric out, or that beat.
“Life Changes” is as honest as it gets. Listening to these songs from “Sixteen” to “Unforgettable,” you feel as if you’re reliving his past as he’s trying to recapture as much as he can. Not going to lie, I was kind of nervous when he was putting out singles every other Friday for sneak peaks. Hearing the different kind of sounds he was exemplifying in “Sweetheart” and “Kiss Me Like A Stranger” took me a while to get used to the vibes, and I think that’s exactly what he was trying to do, give us a taste of each sound living in his past. A lot of this album is autobiographical and sentimental, and it has a little bit of everything that you want to hear when you’re looking for it.
Thomas Rhett achieved his No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart, earned 123,000 identical album units in the ending week of Sept 14 making this his best sales week ever and the third largest sales week of 2017 for a country endeavor. So do yourself and I a favor, listen to this album, you won’t be disappointed.
Kelly Shea Cunningham 