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Thomas Rhett – Center Point Road (Review)

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Thomas Rhett, who has become one of Nashville finest artists the last years, released his fourth album Center Point Road on 31st May 2019. After his latest publications have been very successful, I was looking quite much forward to this album, which I could review during my first day on the trip to the CMA Fest in Nashville – what a nice coincidence!

Thomas Rhett – About the Artist

Center Point Road is Thomas Rhett’s fourth album. He was born 1990 in Georgia. His first appearance on the country music stage was in 2010, when he wrote one of the songs on Jason Aldean’s album My Kinda Party. His first own chart appearance was two years later, when his single Something To Do With My Hands placed 15 in the US Country Billboard charts and 22 in Canada. One year later, It Goes Like This topped the US Country Airplay. Die a Happy Man was song of the year at both Awards, CMA and Billboard Country. It even won a Grammy the year thereafter. Until now, it has over 185 million Youtube impressions.

Two of his three previously released albums, It Goes Like This and Tangled Up reached the second spot in the US Billboard Country Album Charts. His latest 2017 one, Life Changes, topped them.

 

Thomas Rhett – Center Point Road – Track by Track

Center Point Road is a 16 track album with a 52 minute playtime.

1. Up

You can never go up if you never been down, down, down
If you never been lost, you won’t ever get found, found, found
I remember when my momma told me
“Ain’t nobody in love who ain’t never been lonely”
You can never go up if you never been down, down, down

A happy hookline, nice lyrics, that’s the first song of the album, definitely a good start!

2. Don’t Threaten Me with a Good Time (feat. Little Big Town)

The first collaboration of Thomas Rhett and another artists on Center Point Road is made to make you dance. Little Big Town and their vocal strength add a lot to that track, which even made me feel like being part of a reggae sunshine song. Nice track, definitely!

3. Blessed

One of several love songs on that album – and Blessed is a really nice one. You will like it!

And I know I’m blessed
Watching you spin in that dress
Making my heart beat out my chest
I can’t count the times I’ve heard

4. Look What God Gave Her

Look What God Gave Her reminded me a bit of Don’t Threaten Me With a Good Time two tracks before. A nice rhythm and hookline definitely leads to a lovely, dancing country music song.

5. Center Point Road (feat. Kelsea Ballerini)

Kelsea Ballerini is one of my favorite country music artists – the more I was looking forward to listen to the title track of Thomas Rhett’s new album. Not my favorite track of the album, but a very good one.

6. That Old Truck

That Old Truck was one of the tracks which were in fact released before the album. It reminds of all the memories created in his truck – so that it naturally had to remind me of RaeLynn’s Tailgate, which I selected to one of my favorite Country 2 Country 2019 tracks. Here is the lovely chorus:

I grew up in it
Yeah, I got stuck in it
Playin’ our song on the stereo
Drivin’ ’til we ran outta road
Yeah, I broke up in it
I fell in love in it
Made a lifetime full of memories
On a half tank of gasoline
I learned just who I wasn’t and who I was
In that old truck, mmm
In that old truck

7. VHS

Nice good mood song. By the way, if you feel VHS could be some retro topic, bad luck! It is Thomas Rhett’s acronym for a Very Hot Summer.

8. Notice

Definitely a lovely love song about all the hidden things in life.

You think that I don’t notice
How you brush your hair out of your green eyes
The way you blush when you drink red wine
The way you smile when you try to bend the truth
You think that I don’t notice
All the songs you sing underneath your breath
You still tear up at a beach sunset
And you dance just like you’re the only one in the room
You think that I don’t notice, but I do
(I do, yeah, I do, yeah)

9. Sand

If you like to dance to country music on your summer vacation, give Sand a chance. It is just 2:42 minutes short, but just a song which makes you smile and dance. Great production!

10. Beer Can’t Fix (feat. Jon Pardi)

This song is just a lovely country drinking song which has a lot of potential to become a country music party classic. I just love this collaboration with Jon Pardi, great song!

11. Things You Do for Love

A very versatile song with rhythmic, dancing as well as quiet, emotional moments. I definitely love to listen to it!

12. Remember You Young

And no matter how much time goes by
And no matter how much we grow up
For worse or for better, from now ’til forever
I’ll always remember you young

What a lovely ballad, which shows how versatile the music of Thomas Rhett is. He caught me with this song from the very first moment I was listening to it.

13. Don’t Stop Drivin’

A nice song, though maybe not the most catching of the album. I especially loved it as one verse fit to my coming road trip, which is also hitting Tupelo:

She started paintin’ her toes right around Tupelo
She asked, “Are we gettin’ close?”
I said, “To where?” She said, “I don’t know”
She made me pull over for a kiss at sundown
She wanted our picture by the sign saying “Elvis’ Hometown”

14. Barefoot

Thomas Rhett is just giving lovely pictures in Center Point Road – and Barefoot is one of the most lovely ones. Another summer-country hit with nice lyrics.

My baby’s barefoot on the dance floor, spinning all around
Head up in the clouds, feet barely touch the ground
Don’t know why I brought ’em, don’t know why she brought ’em
Got her shoes up in her hand like she’s somewhere in the sand

15. Dream You Never Had

To me, this song is already a top candidate for my best country song of the year. A lovely love song to Lauren Akins, Thomas Rhett’s wife, who is supporting him following his dream. Here is the lovely chorus:

I know it’s been hard, I know it ain’t easy
Oh, but I couldn’t do one show without you, oh baby, believe me
Crowds have been crazy, but baby, I’m missing you bad
Just wanna say thank you
For living this dream I know you never had

16. Almost

I am not at all a religious person, so that I typically struggle with religious country songs (and there are a lot of them…). Almost is a song I just love. Thomas Rhett is thanking his God for the good and bad moments and for protecting him in these Almost-situations.

I almost broke my leg riding dirt bike with no fear
I almost lost my best friend over some girl freshman year
I almost lost my license driving home after two beers
Almost, Lord knows

 

Thomas Rhett – My View

Congrats, Thomas Rhett – Center Point Road is a country music masterpiece. It is a collection of fantastic songs. Though I was listening to them for the first time, I sang along some of the songs with the second or third chorus. If you ever struggled to believe that Thomas Rhett is one of the top acts of country music, here are 52 minutes which will persuade you any second. A definite Top Pick! and must buy!

 

 

Thomas Rhett – Amazon.de Links

The album is available worldwide. Here are the links to Amazon Germany:

 

 

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