Here we go again – after Granger Smith released the first part of his Country Things album in September 2020, the second half of the songs has been released just some two months later. Here is my review another eight Country Things songs.
Granger Smith – Country Things, Vol. 1 (incl. Bio)
As the first part of the album came out that recently, I simply refer to the posting. The posting also includes short bio information:
Granger Smith – Country Things, Vol. 2 – Track By Track
The second half of the album includes eight songs and 25 minutes. This leads to a total of 16 songs / 52 minutes. There feels to be a combined version of both sets with two additional bonus tracks as well.
1. Man Made
All us boys wanna grow up
To make our mamas proud
Find that girl that lifts us up
When life gets us down
Behind any guy doing anything right
There’s a woman’s work at hand
If a man made anything it’s ’cause
A woman made that man
The song starts with a praise to the mothers out there – Granger Smith just sets himself to one of the favorite potential son-in-laws in the business. Quiet, very nice song.
2. Buy A Boy A Baseball
Country music is somehow the genre of US traditions in many ways. The close link between country music and Christian music, traditional values… The song just does not only to Buy a boy a baseball and Give a boy a bible, but also Buy a girl flowers, […] treat her like a lady. It is maybe just a bit more explicit in here than in many other country songs.
3. Anything Like Me
Anything Like Me is a very straight, modern country song. A bit too much of Nashville mainstream, maybe – but overall, a really good one.
4. That’s What Love Looks Like
That’s what love looks like
It’s everywhere, hiding right there
In plain sight
And all we gotta do to see it
Is look with our hearts
And let it open up our eyes
That’s what love looks like
This one is a perfect winter country song: put it on your snuggle-close-to-the-fireplace playlist. Beautiful emotional song.
5. Where I Get It From
Praising traditional US country life is a key topic of this album.
That’s where I get it from
That’s where I get it from
Half sinner, half small-town saint
That’s how I grew up, yeah raised up
Am what I am and I ain’t what I ain’t
A little Friday night free fall
Yes ma’am, hey y’all
No man, it ain’t my fault
That’s where I get it from, yeah
On the melodic side, it is a very powerful good modern country listen. On the lyrics side, it is a bit too much for me – I should be better in getting used to while listening to that genre.
6. 6 String Stories
A ponytail smile, a few houses away
Had me so heartsick, first love, seventh grade
I’d write her a note, pretty words that I knew
Folded in torn-up pages of college rule
It was hot and heavy but I wasn’t ready
To be tied to one girl that long
She cried when I tried to move on
That’s when I wrote my first song
My favorite track on the album. Quite slow and maybe thus also not that present at first sight, but a beautiful song about songwriting. Great one.
7. Workaholic (feat. Earl Dibbles Jr.)
For the last two songs, Granger Smith is using his alter ego Earl Dibbles Jr. A very modern country-hip-hop song. It’s a very different and characteristic style – and I definitely like that.
8. Diesel (feat. Earl Dibbles Jr.)
Earl Dibbles does country the hard way: the electric guitars shout out the melody to Diesel. The song is a quite surprising, but nonetheless really good finisher of the album.
Granger Smith – Country Things, Vol. 2 – Spotify
Here is the Spotify widget to the second part of Granger Smith’s Country Things.
Granger Smith – Country Things, Vol. 2 – My View
I slightly struggled with the beginning of this second half of Country Things songs – but the final tracks add a lot of really great music. Thus, I have to say that I finally enjoy Country Things, Vol. 2 more than the September release. Have fun!
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