Just a few years ago, Chase Rice was known only for his “bro-country” cliches. Between corny, AI-coded lyrics, chaotic over-production, and an unoriginal approach to country radio, many country music listeners had begun to write him off as a legitimate artist in the post-bro-country era. Part of that is a result of timing, as he first broke onto the scene in the early 2010s. Thankfully, more than a decade has passed since his debut album, and he’s shown significant personal and professional growth.
When 2023 rolled around, Rice came out of left field with a completely different vibe for his album I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell. The record showed profound storytelling through his songwriting and displayed a side of Chase Rice that listeners longed to hear. While there were occasional flashbacks to his pop-country days, it was a significant improvement and felt organic.
The new era of Chase Rice came as a shock to many listeners, but it’s something that Rice continues to play into with his latest album, Go Down Singin’. Just a few months before making the record, Rice and his record label, Broken Bow Records (BBR), parted ways. The main reason for this was authenticity. Rice no longer felt he could be true to himself and his music if he worked for a label.
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The word “authentic” is the perfect way to describe Go Down Singin. Throughout the project, Chase Rice takes personal experiences and does a beautiful job of turning them into songs. He opens up about personal relationships, career struggles, and more. But before it gets too heavy, he includes some made-up stories, including a bone-chilling murder ballad with the sixth track, “Haw River.”
Rice previewed the album with three singles, “Fireside,” “Go Down Singin’,” and “Haw River.” Each track had utterly different themes, which did not necessarily allow the listener to judge what else was coming.
The title track, “Go Down Singin’,” easily ranks in the top three for this album. It looks at his struggles and the adversity he continues to face. He drives the point home: if he goes down, he will go down doing what he loves singing. “When this town did its worst, I just smiled and said ‘Bring it’ said ‘If I go down, hell at least I go down singin’.” He goes on to sing about parting ways with BBR, writing, “Signed a couple sheets of paper and finally thought I’d won. Turns out I’d sign a couple more tell ’em I was done.”
Some lyrics are so directly pointed to resonate with a crowd, but that wasn’t the case for “Go Down Singin.’” Despite the low odds of listeners being able to relate to walking on a record label, you feel a strong sense of connection from Rice sharing about his failure. Everyone loves the underdog, and Chase Rice gives the underdog perspective of Nashville in this song, immediately endearing himself to any country listener.
“Go Down Singin’” is the opening track and sets the tone for the 13 other songs that follow it. Whether or not the story is directly personal to Rice, each track has genuine storytelling that cuts deep for any listener. Each song has its moment, but they all include some pivotal life experience, contributing to the overall theme of self-reflection. The entire album works well together, as it is much more than just a collection of singles—unlike most of his previous work.
Chase Rice teamed up with Lori McKenna in the only duet of the record with “That Word Don’t Work No More.” It’s about a couple meeting and the different words they use throughout their relationship. It looks at the bon from start to finish and highlights how those words no longer work. The lack of a chorus goes completely unnoticed, thanks to Rice’s storytelling craft, as each verse takes the listener deeper down the couple’s romantic path. From meeting at the bar to their eventual divorce, it feels like you are getting to know this couple as they grow up together. In the bridge, Rice sings, “We use the words too many times they lose their meaning, lose their rhymes, on this long and crooked road.” Unfortunately, this is another track that many people will be able to resonate with. It’s one of those songs that almost teaches you a lesson and can quickly put a life story into perspective.
The clear best song in the collection is the closing track, “You In ’85.” Rice has been very vocal about his relationship with his dad, whom he lost at the young age of 22. Rice’s father was the cover of the I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell record, and the now 38-year-old recreated that photo for the cover of Go Down Singin’.
“You In ’85” looks at how Rice grew up just like his dad, making the album covers incredibly fitting. “You always said I was gonna look just like you, now this man in the mirror’s the proof, ain’t no wonder we’re so much alike, me right now, and you in 85” (You In ‘85.) The emotional track is a nice nod to his dad and how he is proud to have grown up like him. It is also an excellent reflection on his moments with his dad in the 22 years they got together. It’s a delightful song that will make just about anyone reflect on their precious time with their parents.
The production from Oscar Charles is stellar. It’s his second time working with Rice; the duo has been terrific. For the most part, the record is stripped down instrumentally, keeping the focus on the lyrics and Rice’s vocals. Instrumentally, the main emphasis is on the acoustic guitar, but there are some tasteful fiddle moments on songs like “Oh Tennessee” as well.
Charles does an excellent job of complimenting Rice’s strengths throughout the record with the accenting instruments. When Rice wants to become more aggressive, the band is with him. This was done exquisitely on the chorus of “Haw River.” The same applies to the softer, more emotional tracks. The piano and soft guitar are always there, patting Rice on the back as he sings an emotional verse or chorus. The production is crucial in telling the story and setting an emotional tone throughout the project.
This simplified approach to recording only did Go Down Singin’ favors. It makes his work feel immediately more honest, and it’s clear that, once again, Chase Rice is genuinely proud of these songs and can resonate with them. Previous singles like “Ready, Set, Roll” were proof Rice was trying to force-feed us music that he didn’t fully believe in. The heavy production and lyrics felt like he was trying to check the boxes of what a “country singer” was at the time.
That’s part of what makes listening to Go Down Singin’ so satisfying. He continues to build off of I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell, but he also shows improvement. Few artists have turned their careers around and grown up like Chase Rice. He continues to show he is no longer the hit-chasing, radio-hungry, bro-country artist. As he gets deeper into the new narrative, he has proved that the reimagined Chase Rice isn’t going anywhere.
