Corey Kent - Blacktop
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Blacktop (Sony Nashville, 2023)

Corey Kent

Reviewed by Dan MacIntosh

Sonically, Corey Kent's music many times sounds closer to Bryan Adams than, say, Zach Bryan. It's not all that country, instrumentally. Nevertheless, it often has far more depth than anything drawn from Adams' summer of '69, which makes it well worth our attention. "Blacktop" is packed with strong songs that will grab your attention and hold it.

"Wild As Her" was a hit single, but "Something's Gonna Kill Me," with its galloping groove is just as good - if not better. "If something's gonna kill me," Kent wonders out loud, "might as well be what makes me feel alive." Vices may be deadly, it's true, but oftentimes nothing compares to the energy jolt these bad habits can give us. Kent admits to being a bit old school on "Bic Flame," where he would rather hold up a lighter flame than a cellphone light at concerts. The ballad "Man of the House" is a real stunner. It tells the story of a man forced to grow up and be a responsible male far too soon. It begins with Kent describing what it was like to be raised by a single mom and ends with words about having his own children and "trying to give the childhood life never gave me." Such tender honesty is truly disarming. Lastly, on "Once Or Twice," Kent mirrors the best outlaw country attitude when he sings: "I've never seen the face of God/But I've stared down the devil once or twice."

Kent sings soulfully with that sometimes-raspy voice of his, which makes each track compelling, and his album "Blacktop" reveals he is on just the right road.


CDs by Corey Kent

Blacktop, 2023


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