The Hill
in the title of the fifth country album by
Aaron Lewis
refers to the hill the middle-aged singer is now over -- a situation he sings about on the record, coming to the conclusion "I'm over the hill I'm dying on." Acknowledging he's too old to change his ways and no longer part of "that whole world left spinnin',"
Lewis
also feels too young to retire; he'll fight, but he's choosier about his battles these days. His sense of restraint is evident on "That's My Life," where he attempts to come to peace with Americans who are on the other side of the political divide -- "you do yours, I'll do mine" -- but he's still too much of a conservative to not take swipes at the left, directly taking aim at drag queen parties, CRT, and Antifa. Despite these potshots,
hardly sounds like the work of a firebrand.
barely lets his tempos quicken -- "Outlaw" is the only time the record has anything approaching a swing -- and he spends the album singing with something of a resigned shrug, as if he wants nothing more than to retire to a land filled with small little hills he can call his own. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine