Down Home Sessions EP (Warner Nashville, 2017)

Upon first glance at the track list of Cole Swindell's fourth installment of the "Down Home Sessions" series, one may get the impression that it is a covers EP. It features several chart toppers from other artists, including Luke Bryan's "Roller Coaster" and Thomas Rhett's "Get Me Some Of That." Swindell has 10 number 1 singles as a songwriter to his name had a hand in penning both all five songs, so technically, it's original material.

He hasn't strayed too far from the winning formula that fueled the success of the three prior efforts, which all felt like bro country light with their relatable themes and carefully measured choruses wrapped in glossy production. This EP is no different and is essentially full of the all-star tracks he pulled from his own catalog that have already proven successful in other hands. He wrote "Roller Coaster with Bryan's guitarist and bandleader, Michael Carter while he was selling merchandise at Bryan's shows. The two also penned "Beer in the Headlights," which appears here and Bryan cut for 2013's "Crash My Party." Swindell gives a fun take on Craig Campbell's "Outta My Head," but Florida Georgia Line's "This Is How We Roll" is just as vapid as the original version. If listeners like the versions of the other artists this is sure to please as well; albeit for around 17 minutes.