While most people know Luke Grimes for his role as Kayce Dutton in the hit show, Yellowstone, that won’t be his only distinction for very long. Grimes released his self-titled debut album, and whether it came as a shock or not, he put together an imposing group of songs to kickstart his career as a professional musician. Many people believed that he was using his platform as an actor to promote himself as a singer and that it would come off as cheap or inauthentic. However, those statements quickly began to fade as he released the promotional singles for this LP, steadily proving himself to be the real deal.
The record is produced by David Cobb, who has notably worked with indie-country giants such as Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell, and Sturgill Simpson. He also produced the soundtrack of the Acadamy Award-winning film, A Star is Born. From the first song down to the 13th, Luke Grimes is masterfully produced. Cobb has always had a special knack for doing a lot with a little instrumentality, and the sounds here befit the chill, Western campfire vibe that Grimes was going for. It’s all very smooth, but not overly polished to complement Grimes’s grainy voice. The acoustic guitar is the primary instrument used in almost every song, but the harmonica also some delightful appearances. And of course, the pedal steel is heavily involved throughout the entire compilation in the best way possible; Cobb knows how to build a traditional sound that feels accessible to mainstream audiences but doesn’t isolate more outlaw-oriented country fans.
It’s very common in today’s era of country music to have a lot of copycats. We’re seeing more and more new artists try to sound like Zach Bryan or Morgan Wallen and fail to live up to those names. That isn’t the case at all for Grimes. He manages to capture the essence of the gruff, Sturgill Simpson-type sound, but when you’re listening to him, it doesn’t sound derivative. He has a unique voice that sticks out when you hear it, even if his range isn’t as broad as Tyler Childers or Sturg.
Perhaps Luke Grimes’s most appealing trait is that it doesn’t have any definite skips. Nothing here stands out as a weak link, though some sonic variety could’ve befitted this collection. Even so, nothing feels repetitive or boring; each song has a unique flair, from the breezy folk-rock of “Burn” to the grim, red-dirt twang of “Waiting For the Rain To Die Down.” The fourth track, “Black Powder” stands out as an instrumental unicorn amongst the rest of the record. It’s a fast-paced blues jam that’s sure to keep listeners tapping their feet. The musical variations in this collection are subtle, but Grimes never hurts himself by staying in his lane. He didn’t write every song in this collection, but you can tell that he has a keen sense of what he wanted this project to sound like, and knew how to pick songs that achieved that vision.
The storytelling displayed stands out from start to finish. The opening track, “Burn,” is a prime example of excellent songwriting. It illustrates the agony that accompanies the acceptance of a bad relationship. Obviously, bad luck in love is a favorite subject of country music, but the galloping pace and dedication to the metaphor (letting the relationship burn up) keep it very fun. Indeed, freshening up old ideas is one of Luke Grimes’s best traits on this record, even as he makes the list-tastic “No Horse To Ride” feel clever.
Luke Grimes should turn a lot of heads with this record. It is rare for an actor-turned-singer to show legitimate promise in their music career; in most cases, it feels like a forced cash grab and never pans out. With this record, Grimes showed that he is far more than just an actor, and he has 13 well-crafted songs to prove it. He should no longer be viewed as “Kayce Dutton from Yellowstone;” rather, he deserves to be recognized as an artist in his own right. Country music has gotten off to a slow start in 2024, but Luke Grimes has stood out as one of the best albums of the year so far.
8.4/10
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