Spring Break 6 - Like We Ain't Ever (Capitol Nashville, 2014)

Luke Bryan mock introduces "The Sand I Brought to the Beach" as a "real sad story y'all." It's a breakup song and one where the character in it is forced to admit, "I guess she didn't like the spring break side of me." The same can be said of country audiences that may well have outgrown chasing girls on the beach between college semesters.

Bryan claims EPs like this one are meant to give his fans new music between full, official releases, but we know better. This is, instead, conspicuous demographic capitalization on Bryan's bro-country audience, and a lightweight soundtrack for the party animals in his huge fan base.

These six songs are about as serious and sincere as spring breaks get, which is hardly serious at all. The best track from the small handful is "Night One," which faces the harsh truth that a beach bum just met a hot chick at the end of his spring break, instead of its beginning. Bryan sings it well with that distinctive urgency he's able to fill his vocal with, over a banjo-accompanied instrumental bed. The character's biggest regret is that he only experienced a one night stand, when he maybe could have stretched all the drunkenness and sex into seven long days and nights.

The weakest cut is "She Get Me High," where Bryan - whether unintentionally or not - has stolen the acoustic intro from Tom Petty's "Free Fallen'," which makes it come off like a melodic rerun.

On the title track, Bryan preaches about trying to make the best of spring break. What's missing, though, is a little balance or consequences. It's like one long beer commercial where all the supposed benefits of brew are praised, without the pitchman ever once mentioning any downside. Could it be that casual sex and inebriation leads to unwanted pregnancies and DUI convictions? Nah! Spring break is like adult Disneyland, where nothing at all can ever go wrong.