14. July 2025
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Media Review

Chris Young – Famous Friends

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Chris Young - Famous Friends

Chris Young - Famous Friends
4.7

Rating

 4.7/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Very compact and well-composed modern country album
  • Wide range of tracks from beautiful ballads to country rock
  • The new tracks add a lot of value to the album

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Quite many already published songs

It is over two years ago since Chris Young released the first single for his new album. Now, on 6th August 2021, the Tennessee country music artist releases Famous Friends, his first album after four years of absence. Almost unnecessary to say that I have been really curious about the songs which have not been published beforehand. The album is Young’s eighth studio long-play publication.

 

Chris Young – About The Artist

Chris Young was born in Mufreesboro, a Southeast suburb of Nashville, on 12th June 1985. He also enjoyed doing music from very early years on. Already during college studies, he had some 150 gigs per year. His breakthrough was likely winning the TV singing competition Nashville Star in 2006, which also gave Young his first contract. The same year, he already released his debut album, a self-titled one. The album went third in the US Country Charts and 22nd in the overall album charts. The underlying singles, Drinkin’ Me Lonely and You’re Gonna Love Me, just had average success though. This changed with the singles representing the following album The Man I Want To Be. The title track as well as Gettin’ You Home (The Black Dress Song) topped the US Country Charts and went Top 10 in Canada as well.

From that moment, Chris Young releases regularly climbed to the best rankings in the US charts. However, just two album, I’m Comin’ Over (2015) and Losing Sleep, his most recent publication (2017), in fact topped the US Country Album Charts. Overall, ten of his songs topped the US Country Singles Charts. Chris Young has been nominated twice for a Grammy Award.

 

Chris Young – Famous Friends – Track by Track

The fourteen song album lasts 43 minutes.

1. Raised on Country

It almost feels needless to write something about this song. It has been released in March 2019, 52 million streams on Spotify only. Chris Young is summing up quite a period of country music in this album.

2. Famous Friends (feat. Kane Brown)

The title track of the album has been a massive success in 2021. A cool collaboration and a good track.

3. Town Ain’t Big Enough (feat. Lauren Alaina)

Is Lauren Alaina also one of Chris Young’s Famous Friends? This track, which Chris Young released with Lauren Alaina before the album, is definitely a beauty.

4. Drowning

Over 175 million streams – that’s the stats of the first four songs of the album. Glad that there are a bunch of new track later, but it almost reminds me of the good old days when I was younger when I listen to this song, which has been released nearly two years ago.

5. Rescue Me

After this traveling through the last two years, the album continues with two rather recent releases. Rescue Me is a beautiful ballad, which maybe a bit too much on the soppy side in the chorus.

6. Break Like You Do

Break Like You Do is a pretty good modern country song – even though it does not lead to an as catching feeling as some of the songs before. I especially enjoy the vocal presence and presentation in this track.

7. At the End of a Bar (feat. Mitchell Tenpenny)

The last of the Famous Friends (if you take it as a description of duets, at least) – and the first in fact new release of the album. Chris Young does great in this collaboraton with Mitchell Tenpenny. The two guys create a lot of energy in this song. Cool start into the “new” part of the album.

8. Love Looks Good on You

Piano, a figure snipping rhythm right from the beginning – the eighth song is definitely one for the emotional side of country music life. Chris Young does great in this one.

9. One of Them Nights

The second half of the album does only have one song already released: One of Them Nights is a great song for fans of loud and rocking country music parties. From gentle romantic sounds to headbanging with your boots on – Chris Young feels to be able to do all of that.

10. When You’re Drinking

After this powerful song, the mid-tempo When You’re Drinking almost feels like a kitschy romance initially. But the memories of One of Them Nights is fading a bit over time and When You’re Drinking also comes with some guitar riff moments. Good song!

11. Cross Every Line

If I was a quarterback and you were the cheerleader
And I was on the field and you were cryin’ by the bleachers
Fourth quarter, fourth down, I wouldn’t think twice
I’d take my helmet off, run to you right on the sidelines
If you were captured, baby, I would be relentless
I’d declare it war and run right out them trenches
Yeah, you’d hear my battle cry
I’d let the bullets fly
Wouldn’t be an enemy let behind the enemy line

That’s that kind of lyrics which I tend to criticize when I do German schlager review. At least the song is not that soppy and comes with a really nice melody.

12. Hold My Beer Watch This

The twelfth song is a lovely laid back country song. A great track for a cold beer on a warm summer night – or a perfect one when Chris Young is back on stage.

13. Best Seat in the House

The album continues with straight modern country music which is simply a good listen and give a good mood. Best Seat in the House is definitely not the best song in the Famous Friends community of track – but the song are three minutes you digest with a bright smile.

14. Tonight We’re Dancing

So, tonight we’re dancin’
Barefoot in the kitchen
Spinnin’ along to a George Strait song, “You Look So Good In Love”
And when it’s just us
All I wanna do is stare into your eyes all night long
Heart-to-heart, hand-in-hand
So, tonight we’re dancin’

For the closing song of the album, Chris Young is getting back to the piano. The song is just an amazing listen. Definitely enjoy it!

 

Chris Young – Famous Friends – Spotify

Here is Famous Friends on Spotify:

 

Chris Young – Famous Friends – My View

You that I am very picky with too many single releases before an album is finally published – and thus I was a rather critical before I started listening to Famous Friends. The first six songs did (or did not) convince me in the past already – but Chris Young shows in the second half of the album that this is definitely not a rip-off of his fans. Six new tracks is not too bad, all of them are really good country songs. On top of that, Famous Friends features some tracks which almost feel like a “classic” already. The result is a really good modern country album, which is definitely worth listening.

 

 

2021 Country Music Reviews

Here are all my 2021 published Media Reviews related to country music:

 

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