An Old Memory

Consider 's as a way for the baritone country singer to reconnect with his roots. Back in 2016, he fashioned himself as an R&B-country crooner, shifting away from the bro-country of his earliest recordings, but those two phases had one thing in common: they were pop-country eager to ride modern trends. That's not the case with . Here, pays tribute to , a singer who is generally considered one of the finest hard country singers of the 1980s. treats 's songs with affection, arranging these seven tunes so they echo the spare, soft-focus originals without being overly faithful to the old records. His tenderness is also evident in his extension of invitations to 's former wife and the couple's son to sing on the record. gets a moving spotlight on "Tell Lorrie I Love Her," the EP/mini-LP's closing song, which is one of two songs that weren't big hits on the Country charts. The rest of is devoted to 's biggest hits -- "Miami, My Amy," "Don't Close Your Eyes," "When You Say Nothing at Al," "Ten Feet Away" -- and they function not only as a tender tribute to an idol, but overdue confirmation of 's skills as a country singer. While he doesn't reinvent these songs, he does handle them with care and sings with feeling, which is enough to make his finest recording yet. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine