When I saw Drew Baldridge in Birmingham last December, he sold the show out and was really, really good. You could see immediately that he was likely to become one of country music’s next stars.
Something else struck me that night, though. You were struck by how nice he was. You imagine that the impression he leaves on people is every bit as important to him as the songs themselves. Certainly, that appears to be the message behind “Farm Faith Family”.
“Farmland” paints such an idyllic picture of rural life that you can practically see the fields stretching into the distance. “Diesel & Dirt” follows it with an almost perfect slice of blue-collar country, proudly celebrating the people who work with their hands.
“Love Needs You” is a blue-collar ballad, if such a thing exists, and it recalls the sort of thing Charles Wesley Godwin recently did with Luke Combs. “Country Boy” is a little more honky-tonk-ready, and you could never accuse Baldridge of being anything other than true to his roots.
Being a good person, though, is surely more important to him than any of that, which is where “Maker’s Mark” comes in. The first half of the record is completed by “Tough People”, which Baldridge played in Birmingham. There won’t be a dry eye in the house when he sings about the little girl at its heart.
“Cool Enough Now” might be the nicest middle finger to the haters that anyone has ever recorded, before “Rebel” delivers what feels like Baldridge’s mission statement. These opening songs establish the album’s traditional country foundations while ensuring that its choruses are built for modern arenas.
“Him For Her” is a female empowerment ballad, while “People Can Change” looks for hope in everyone. That optimism is central to the record. Baldridge is happy to sing about ordinary lives, but he is equally interested in what people might become.
“Flowers On A Stone” helps someone through grief and is a truly lovely ballad. Then comes “Deserve Her”. As I have said before, I am many things, but I am not romantic. This is probably why I review lots of records. Even so, Baldridge’s sincerity is difficult to resist.
“Let ’Em” paints a beautiful picture of childhood, and the piano-led “Get Me Gone”, featuring Emily Ann Roberts, is precisely the type of duet country music needs. “I’d Still Love You” initially appears to have “first dance” written all over it. Then you listen properly and realise that they are disposing of bodies in the second verse. Go on, Drew.
The closing “…A Man Don’t” is a manifesto of sorts. It brings everything back to faith, farm and family and underlines exactly what Baldridge wants the world to know about him.
Taken in isolation, this is simply a fantastic modern country record, and one that should move Baldridge into the big leagues, judging by the reception he is already receiving. That is even more impressive considering how much of his career he has built himself.
More than that, though, “Farm Faith Family” is an artistic statement. Across these 16 songs, Drew Baldridge tells the world exactly who he is, what he believes and what matters to him. The result is both tremendously accomplished and entirely genuine.
Rating: 8.5/10
