Same Truck (Triple Tigers, 2021)

Scotty McCreery is somewhat of a guilty pleasure. American Idol winners are supposed to sell albums, lots of them. With three with three number ones on his resume, McCreery has certainly done his job well. But commercial success sometimes has its burdens. With an unabashed contemporary bent, aw shucks demeanor and flannel shirt, he was portrayed as a caricature of the genre on an SNL spoof

2013s "See You Tonight" was designed to market him as a more mature artist and to buck the stereotype. Apparently, marriage is the barometer of maturity.

His fifth studio album "Same Truck," is about being married to his lovely wife Gabi and follows 2018's "Seasons Change" which is about getting ready for marriage. The new collection is predictably breezy peppered with a few that have a more traditional feel. He flexes his writing muscles with credits on 10 of 12 songs, with help from the likes of Rhett Atkins, Ashley Gorley and Zach Crowell.

The leadoff title track is a bouncy ode to inclusivity, reflecting on the human thread and urging the populace to work together no matter what. "Damn Strait" pays homage to his hero, George Strait. Ironically, with its synth opening it feels like psychodelia, but evolves into a country groove with pedal steel. The most country song is an ode to small towns with gas stations that don't take credit cards on "It'll Grow On You." His baritone is in fine form and now shows signs of having a signature element in the vein of Trace Adkins or Josh Turner. There is some rocking guitar on "It Matters To Her."

McCreery's domestic bliss record still has plenty of sheen, but the more traditional numbers signal the potential maturity he has been aspiring to.