A songwriter turned performer, Eric Paslay is the classic poacher turned gamekeeper almost.
A string of hits, but best known, perhaps for Jake Owen’s “Barefoot Blue Jean Night”, he’s back with six of his own to add to his burgeoning collection, and these are (in some ways) a slightly new direction
“Perfect Stranger” itself signposts it, as it walks the line of ‘Is it Country, is it pop?’ Expertly. The answer is it’s pop. But it doesn’t matter.
“Everything With You” is another that’s more X-Ambassadors than Grand Ole Opry, but everything here has a class and polish and it is not looking to the Honky-Tonk for inspiration.
“Best Friends” like all of these is a co-write with Paslay, as you’d expect given he’s an award-winning singer-songwriter, but “Best Friends” might be a little more autobiographical than some. It’ll either be the soundtrack to a first dance at your wedding as you mend your broken heart because you didn’t need them anyway.
“Like I’m Loving You Now” has just a tinge of Latin in it. Three minutes of timeless pop, while “Best Damn Days” does the whole reflection “Summer Of ’69” thing. All summer long, and this one, like all the others here, is a solid gold hit.
“Lost In A Song” – the only one that Paslay writes alone – can be seen as a tantalising glimpse of what might have been, if he’d wanted it to be. Stripped down, acoustic, almost claustrophobic. Haunting and gorgeous, Chris Stapleton fills arenas with this stuff.
Eric Paslay evidently didn’t want that for “Perfect Stranger” and by and large, it’s perfect clean-cut pop music from the man who looks like a backroads trucker.
Awards and gold discs await.
Rating 8/10
