Crash My Party
Luke Bryan
Produced by Capitol Records Nashville
Following in the footsteps of his successful 2011 album Tailgates and Tanlines, and 2013’s Spring Break… Here to Party compilation package, Luke Bryan’s fourth studio album Crash My Party is nothing short of what one would expect from the man who makes country girls swoon and “shake it” for him, and who happens to be this year’s Academy of Country Music entertainer of the year.
Crash My Party is full of conventional material one would find on a country album, including songs about love and heartbreak, drinking, family and living in a small town. The words “Dixie cup” and “sugar” are repetitive throughout this album, as on his others.
However, Bryan spices up the genre by making a few small changes—primarily mixing different beats together for a unique sound.
The opening track “That’s My Kind of Party” starts off with a country/hip hop beat that could be loosely compared to a sample of Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust.”
“Put in my country ride hip-hop mixtape/Little Conway, a little T-Pain, might just make it rain,” are just some of Bryan’s hip-hop-influenced lyrics.
The album’s title song “Crash My Party” is a song that proves even tough guys can cancel a night with the guys and instead spend time with their other half. This slower song is part of Bryan’s magic, demonstrating his romantic side that makes all the girls go crazy for him. “If you wanna call me, call me, call me/You don’t have to worry ‘bout it, baby/You can wake me up in the dead of the night/Wreck my plans, baby that’s alright.”
The Georgia native co-wrote only two out of 13 tracks on the regular version and a total of four out of 17 on the deluxe album version, which is a bit of a letdown compared to some of his previous albums. Still, Crash My Party has been surprisingly popular.
He stands in third place for the largest sale since 2013, right behind Justin Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience (968,000) and Jay Z’s Magna Carta… Holy Grail (528,000,) according to Billboard.com’s website.
“Play It Again” is another cute love song that brings the two main characters together whenever a certain song is playing: “she was like, oh my God, this is my song/I’ve been listenin’ to the radio all night long/Sittin’ ‘round waitin’ for it to come on and here it is.”
“Blood Brothers” and “Dirt Road Diary” demonstrate the typical close-knit group of farmers found throughout country music, while “Beer In The Headlights” and “Your Mama Should Have Named You Whiskey” are also two typical, alcohol-inspired songs.
Overall, Crash My Party is a decent album that has simple lyrics and meanings. While it might have been better for Bryan to have branched out a bit more and experiment with a different sound from his previous records, fans are still obviously very excited with his new material, which is what really matters.
