This One’s For All Of Us

Luke Combs’ debut album for River House/Columbia Nashville, “This One’s For You,” isn’t just solid – it’s fantastic.

As we approach the middle of 2017, Combs is comfortably in the clubhouse with one of the top five albums of the year – according to me. All 12 songs were co-written by Combs, an everyman storyteller with a giant voice that drives the sound of this album. That’s not to say the songs lack content or depth – they’ve got both. Combs’ baritone, and his discipline for not over-singing or relying solely on his instrument, make these stories resonate. But, your takeaway from “This One’s For You,” and what will ultimately pull you back to this collection of songs, is that voice.

His recent two-week #1 debut single, “Hurricane,” is an anomaly. It’s rare that any artist in Country can pitch a tent at the top of the charts for longer than seven days. In fact, during the past 12 months, it has only happened five other times, and here’s the company Combs is suddenly keeping: Little Big Town, Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney, Sam Hunt, and Keith Urban.

I’m not sure what Combs’ first-week album sales will look like. Digital single sales for “Hurricane” are past 500,000 now, so that’s a good omen. But, even if he comes out of the gate with modest numbers, this album feels like one that will keep selling steadily as the year progresses, building momentum. That’s because “Hurricane,” a solid song and obvious hit by all forms of measurement – spins, research, streams, sales, Shazams and Mscores – is not even the best song on the album.

I remember thinking when Old Dominion’s “Meat And Candy” came out in late 2015 that not only was it a crazy title, but you could throw a dart at any of the 11 songs, and wherever it landed, boom! There’s your single. I feel the same about “This One’s For You.”

Of course, I do have my personal favorites. Before Combs transitioned to Columbia, he was with Thirty Tigers and paid a visit to All Access. In addition to “Hurricane,” Combs played us “When It Rains It Pours,” a title which usually portends anguish, heartbreak, and tons of sorrow. Well, Combs flipped the script on those themes, instead telling a fun, uplifting tale of how many things can go so incredibly right when someone leaves you. Things like winning the lottery, being the right caller for a radio contest, and – hitting perfectly on that everyman image I touched on earlier – winning the Moose Club raffle. As Combs sings, perhaps the biggest prize is this: “And I ain’t gotta see my ex-future mother-in-law anymore / Oh, Lord, when it rains it pours / I’ve been on one hell of a redneck roll for three weeks now / And it all started on the day that she walked out.”

There’s a thoughtful side, too, with “One Number Away,” a regretful, reflective tune with a clever John Mayer name-drop and kick-ass line wondering if she feels similar remorse over a recent split. “Are you stuck at a red light with a Marlboro Light on your lips / Does the smoke in your mirror get clearer without my kiss?” These are the thoughts of someone torturing themselves: “I’m one number away from calling you / I said I was through / But I’m dying inside / Got my head in a mess / Girl I confess / I lied when I said I’m leaving and not coming back.”

Similarly, “Be Careful What You Wish For” shares a cautionary tale: “She was holding on just a little too tight / Talked a little too much about the rest of our lives / I broke her heart thinking freedom would set me free / But sometimes things ain’t what you think they’re gonna be.”

Combs’ “This One’s For You” is a full-blown traditional Country album by any standard, especially when placed side-by-side with music from Sam Hunt, Thomas Rhett, and other contemporary hit makers in Country right now. But, it’s not twangy or cliché sounding, and – as cliché as THIS terms can sound, it’s true – this album sounds real. Combs doesn’t have to try too hard at that, because this appears to be exactly who he is. Another thing about Combs – and, take this as I mean it, not how it sounds – is that he isn’t the prototypical perfect-looking new Country artist. The guy looks like a regular dude. He’s not chiseled and doesn’t have washboard abs or a stylist. I find all of that refreshing as hell.

I’ve talked here about a slow but steady movement lately, where traditional Country is once again finding a consistent lane on the radio; Jon Pardi, Midland, and William Michael Morgan are just a few examples. I don’t see this lane dominating the format or driving its sound again soon, as Country has firmly established its place as a mass appeal, contemporary format – for now. What is needed for a more traditional sound to widen that lane, and potentially grow its presence from texture – which is the role it serves now – to more closely defining the format, is a huge, breakthrough artist with a bold album. Somebody that can appeal to traditional fans, yet capture the fancy of newer, recent Country converts whose snapshot of this genre is the Pop-leaning music so prevalent on Country radio now.

That kind of seismic event hasn’t really happened since Randy Travis personally redirected the format in 1986 with “Storms Of Life,” a breakthrough traditional album that everybody who loved music ended up loving. That was not only one of the greatest debut albums in the history of Country music, it was one the greatest ALBUMS in Country music history. Combs’ “This One’s For You” is one of the most impressive debut albums I’ve heard in years. It’s similar to Jon Pardi’s “California Sunrise” album from last year, in that it wears incredibly well. With every listen, you appreciate the entire project more, and your “favorite song” designation is a moving target. I would think “This One’s for You” certainly receives consideration for ACM and CMA Album of the Year, though I’m not quite ready to totally declare it a total game-changer like Travis’ debut effort 31 years ago – because that kind of event is so rare. As much as I love new music and am good with Country being considered that aforementioned mass-appeal format, I still believe we always need to maintain some foundation based in traditional music. This effort by Luke Combs could serve as a significant lightning rod for traditional Country in 2017.