In Luke Bryan’s two-decade career, he’s enjoyed some massive mainstream successes, amassing an impressive record of 25 #1s on country radio. From his lengthy catalog, we’ve ranked his seven full-length studio albums from worst to best (excluding his Spring Break EPs).
7. Born Here Live Here Die Here (2020)
Marking the longest gap between Bryan’s records, Born Here Live Here Die Here was a flat rehash of its predecessor, 2017’s What Makes You Country. Though he still kept his streak of #1 songs alive with this one, the giddy and corny “Knockin’ Boots” drew worrisome parallels with the mixed response of sister single “Kick The Dust Up” years prior. Worse still, the tracklist on this album is a draining trudge of boring would-be singles. “One Margarita” was just that, and even though Bryan had “checked out” of his Spring Break era in 2015, this record forced hapless listeners to be dragged back into that generic, largely uninspired world all over again.
6. What Makes You Country (2017)
Following up Kill The Lights proved to be a difficult task for What Makes You Country. Without going too far outside the lines with stadium bangers and emotional contemporary country, his sixth release was confusing. Stuffed with mainstream pop and filler tracks, listeners’ first taste of 40-year-old Luke Bryan came from the tasteless and stale “Light It Up” which barely had any staying power on the charts. A pop-country anthem about waiting for your ex to text back was a weird choice to kick off this phase of his career. The only standout single here is the country Kumbaya moment “Most People Are Good,” capturing Luke Bryan’s trademark cheese in the most endearing way possible. Unfortunately, tracks like “Hooked On It” and the cringy “She’s a Hot One” would’ve been much better off on the cutting room floor.
5. I’ll Stay Me (2007)
Luke Bryan’s debut record wasn’t much to rave about, but it put the then cookie-cutter male solo country act on the map. Leading with his debut single “All My Friends Say,” the track was probably the most memorable track this record had to offer, boasting some sly humor and undeniable catchiness. Overall, this was a pretty safe record to introduce Luke Bryan to the mainstream early-2000s country scene. Having previously co-written Billy Currington’s “Good Directions,” the Georgia native established himself with his twangiest album to date, even with the commercial failure of “We Rode In Trucks” and the forgettable “Country Man.”
4. Crash My Party (2013)
Formulas from Tailgates and Tanlines repeated almost verbatim in Crash My Party as the commercial demand for bro-country began to reach a fever pitch. Still a solid record with six massive #1 songs, the album’s title aptly foreshadows the next few years of Luke’s hard-partying career. With this record, he makes his most pronounced venture into contemporary country with a string of poppy singles like “Crash My Party,” “Play It Again,” and “Rollercoaster.” However, this record has a few praiseworthy deep cuts, namely the outstanding “Dirt Road Diary.”
3. Kill The Lights (2015)
With his fifth studio album, Luke Bryan started to find some consistency with a steadier flow of substantive cuts. Disappointingly, the album’s lead single “Kick The Dust Up” was a crashing letdown from the all-night anthems that Bryan built his career on. That said, this record ends up being one of Luke’s most mature and interesting albums to date from the sweet “Home Alone Tonight” featuring Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town to the thought-provoking “Fast.” Had the selection of singles been reconsidered, the charming “To The Moon and Back” would have been an awesome way to close out this era.
2. Doin’ My Thing (2009)
Continuing to work with long-time producer Jeff Stevens on his sophomore release, Luke Bryan’s comfort level and industry pressure eased in Doin’ My Thing, while collaborating with hit songwriters and creating more authentic and romantic tracks to expand his audience. Leading with “Do I,” a ballad co-written with Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood of Lady A, the single was a defining moment for Bryan, as his name finally started to cement itself in the mainstream consciousness. “Rain Is A Good Thing” reestablished Bryan’s twangy roots from his debut record, while “Someone Else Calling You Baby” served as a tragic part-two to “Do I” with Bryan’s more emotional and intimate songs becoming the staple of his success.
1. Tailgates and Tanlines (2011)
With the peak of bro-country in full swing, Tailgates and Tanlines is probably the go-to album that would encompass this era, even more so than Florida Georgia Line’s Here to the Good Times (2012). Though this sub-genre doesn’t have the best reputation, Bryan created something different here that brought more audiences with its mainstream impact on the radio and social media. Though there are a few filler tracks on the record (like most of Bryan’s albums), a slick ensemble of #1 hit singles came from the double-platinum record that made fans want more. The lead single “Country Girl (Shake It for Me)” defines this era perfectly; it’s intensely catchy, though a bit frustrating as a harbinger of the many bad bro-country songs that would follow it. The biggest highlight of the album, though it probably received the least amount of attention on radio was “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye,” an ideal Luke ballad chock-full of crying pedal steel and cutting depth.
