Cross Country

is a clever titular pun for : on this 2022 debut album, he covers a lot of ground, crossing musical streams in the process. Nominally country, belongs to the streaming generation who doesn't recognize strict borders between genres. His album opens with "Here for It," a stirring pop duet with kindred spirit , then it slides into "County Line," a rapped salute to his hometown delivered to a lengthy loop of 's yacht-country classic "Nobody." As the record progresses, further blurs eras and sounds, adopting 's boot-scootin' swagger for "Natural" then making a feint toward gospel on "Praise the Lord," a celebration of all manners of secular pleasures, hailing cold beer conversations and crispy chicken. The choices of duet partners -- in addition to , , and are all here -- signal that is firmly in the pop camp; he plays to all audiences under that umbrella, making music that could sound equally great in sports bars and waiting rooms. From a certain angle, this eagerness to please could almost read as pandering but the nifty thing about is his light touch: he's a sweet, earnest presence that helps make state-of-the-art pop circa 2022. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine