Two songs in the first half of the album, Anything Cold and Half of Me, introduce the tone of enjoying life and living the way that you want. In Anything Cold, Rhett tells his significant other to grab “Anything cold with alcohol / Soon as I’m poppin’ that top and I got no troubles at all”. It’s a perfect tune to start a warm day and will certainly get the listener craving some beach and sun. In Half of Me, begins by listing some of the chores that he is supposed to get done that day, including mowing the lawn, fixing the fence, and washing his truck. In response, Rhett echoes Anything Cold’s desire to kick back and enjoy a cold one with his loved ones, with a little play on words: “I ain’t even tryna fight, it’s already been decided / The sky and the mountains are blue / Half of me wants a cold beer / And the other half does too”.
Two other songs switch gears into a more romantic mood, while still keeping the upbeat instrumentation from previous songs. In Angels, Rhett displays his religious devotion to his wife while telling God: “Don’t know why you were patient and wasted good savin’ on me / Maybe angels don’t always have”. Rhett admits that he has his flaws and is imperfect just like any man, but that the woman that he found is the perfect one for him. In Paradise, Rhett combines the scenes of love and beaches: “Your green eyes got me goin’ / Off where them waves are rollin’ / Livin’ on your summertime / If you wonder what lovin’ you looks like / I call it paradise”.
Rhett’s wife is a key figure in his career, featured continuously on stage on social media. Their relationship is a catalyst for much of his songwriting and provides a goal for young couples to aim for. Because of that objective, Rhett perfectly articulates another song, Us Someday, which helps those young couples envision what their lives might be like a little farther down the line: “Couple kids runnin’ wild in the backyard/ Handprints in a new driveway / Road trips in a packed-out old car / Little league on a Saturday / You call me a crazy dreamer / But I’m gonna dream away / Close my eyes and I swear I see it / My love, that’ll be us someday”.
One surprising find in the album is an unexpected social justice song, Death Row, advocating for those who have been sentenced to capital punishment. It is refreshing to see a country artist using his platform to advocate for a social issue, and in a way that doesn’t take away from the musical quality in any way. Overall, Rhett’s album is an enjoyable mix of various tones and themes, combining for a rewarding listening experience.
I was always a huge Thomas Rhett fan when he first gained notoriety back in 2015/2016. He was my favorite country artist for a considerable amount of time, but over time I kind of strayed away from some of his newer music. It was nothing against him or his music, maybe I was just burnt out. I don’t think I have listened to many of the songs on this album, but I’ll be certain to after reading your post. Reading about the “Death Row” song certainly peaked my interest, as it is not often country singers address certain social justice issues like that. I read over the lyrics and the story behind the song and it sounds like an exceedingly emotional and though-provoking record. I’ll be sure to get caught up on what I’ve missed from this album! Good work.
Hi Emmanuel! Thomas Rhett has always been an artist that I have heard a lot about but not actually listened to. I was surprised to hear about Death Row being a social justice song. As you mentioned it is rare to see a country artist mention social/political issues in their music. It really intrigues me and I am interested in how it fits with the rest of his music.
The album itself sounds like it was written by a man who started with nothing and now he got everything he could have hoped for. And that is a very good message. Not a lot of people could make it in his profession so to hear him being able to be prideful of the things he already have in his life, his wife, the simplicity of life, and his music, it sounds a very upbeat and hopeful song. I think the last song, the social justice one, is jarring to include in such an album because it seems to appear out of nowhere. Perhaps had he added it to another album that’s dedicated to the topic or included more songs of the like, it would be less out of place?