By Breana Aquino – Staff Reporter

Luke Combs is an American country music singer-songwriter known for his gritty vocals and chart success, starting with his 2016 breakout hit “Hurricane.” Over the course of his music career, he has been a Grammy-nominated artist and CMA Entertainer of Year winner, having released multiple chart-topping albums and 16 consecutive #1 hits.

After a three-year hiatus from making an album, Combs came back onto the music scene with the release of his album “The Way I Am” on March 20. With a total of 22 songs, this album has been the largest release of his career. This album is a project that reflects on Combs’ personal life, whether it be exploring fatherhood, marriage, his mental health, and that balance between fame and his home life. The songs range from heartfelt ballads to energetic, “sports-bar” songs. Combs’ music style in this project feels like a modern rendition of 90s’ country, featuring the banjo and steel guitar, which are elements he has been continuously using since his earlier tracks.

 

The song “Rethink Some Things” is the 10th track in the album, and it is a vibe. From the lyrics, the song focuses on a male protagonist struggling to resist the temptation of falling back into a relationship with a woman he tries to move on from. The chorus features the lines: “You’re the kind of woman/Make a man rethink some things/Kind that makes a made up mind start questioning,” which showcase the inner turmoil the protagonist faces on the want to move on, yet falls back to desire because of the woman from his past relationship. This song separates itself from some of the others in the album because it features a more sensual and funky instrumental which separates itself from traditional country production to a more Motown-esque groove. This is in contrast to the other upbeat party anthems or the slow, romantic country vibes which shows Combs’ flexibility in music style. Combs is known to immerse listeners in the world of storytelling through the lyricism in his songs, and this song is no exception.

What’s interesting about this album is the switch between themes throughout its whole. “My Kinda Saturday Night” is the second track of the album, and it features a typical, high-energy country song about taking a break from work and enjoying a fun, raucous Saturday night with some friends. This song is made to symbolize the fame and career part of Combs’ life, with it being one of the more boisterous and fun, honky-tonk tunes, which reflects on the lively entertainment Combs brings to his concerts with similar tracks. Those types of tracks mostly consist of beer-drinking, woman-yearning, and overall blue-collar trends, which are typical of stereotypical country. However, the other half of the album presents symbolism of Combs’ more personal, home life. The song “Be By You” is a laidback love song dedicated to Combs’ wife, Nicole Hocking, which focuses on the simple desire to be by her side no matter the circumstance. The lyrics: “I can’t leave your lovin’ alone/Where you are is where I belong” showcase Combs’ willing devotion to his wife, not leaving any room to fathom what it would be like without her. The contrast in song messages is clear, yet is there to show Combs’ experience balancing work and home life.

Despite Combs’ remarkable talent in the ability to conjure great emotional impact, this album may be lackluster compared to some of his other work. A good amount of tracks in this lengthy album are ballads. This can either come as a good thing or bad. The ballads Combs sings highlight his ability to pour emotion into his songs through storytelling and his grainy, yet passionate vocals. On the other hand, it may fare “dullness” or be unexciting in comparison to his other upbeat, country-spirited songs. It ultimately depends on whoever is listening, whether they like the more ballad-type songs, or the more uplifting, but this album is a good mix of both.

“The Way I Am” is an album which ranges from “heartbreaker” feels to “heartfelt” fables, accentuates who Combs is and his emotional integrity shines throughout each song, verse, and word.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars