Just a week after Post Malone released his highly anticipated F-1 Trillion, Thomas Rhett faced the tough task of following up with his own project. There is no question that Rhett isn’t the artist he once was, as he has been developing more of a pop sound. But this was his chance to show that he still has good music in the tank.
Country Again: Side A was his most compelling album to date, and since then, his music has been in massive decline. He changed his sound to fit a formula of success like Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” instead of letting success naturally develop. The obvious next step seemed to be releasing a “Side B” to the record. Still, listeners were robbed of another fresh, organic-sounding record in favor of the usual mindless radio tripe that has kept TR in the conversation as a “singles artist” who’s good but never great.
The latest era started with underwhelming promotional singles like “Beautiful As You” and “Gone Country.” Despite sharing a name with one of Alan Jackson’s biggest hits, “Gone Country” couldn’t have had a more different vibe. Like many other tracks on the record, it had a pop sound with a snap track and trap beat, creating a feeling of overproduction. It becomes so busy that it is impossible to grab onto anything with the song; nothing catches the ear because each aspect of the song is trying to overpower the other. As a result, it becomes music that’s been done a million times over and flows in one ear and out the other.
The pre-releases don’t fully encapsulate the record, but they set the right expectations going into About a Woman. This is undoubtedly Rhett’s most pop-infused record, pushing him further from the sound where he has found success. It seems like the Georgia native is trying to be someone he’s not chasing the sound being played on the radio with which acts like Morgan Wallen or even Shaboozy have succeeded. Thomas Rhett putting out this kind of music is like a parent trying to be “cool” and “hip” by using teenage slang to impress their kids; it comes across as forced and out of place.
That being said, there were some bright sides to the project. The closing track, “I Can Spend Forever Loving You,” is the best song out of the 14. It’s the only one that actually feels like a Thomas Rhett song. It slows things down and highlights the lyrics while still being well-produced and avoiding it being too much. It’s similar to a song like “Remember You Young,” one of Rhett’s most well-written songs about something he genuinely cares about, and is simply a gorgeous song altogether. While his voice sounds echoey, much more thought is clearly put into the songwriting, and it feels like it comes from a genuine place. Some of the other music doesn’t have that same level of authenticity and sounds like it could be background music at Hollister.
“I Can Spend Forever Loving You” was a lot more fitting for the expectations for a Thomas Rhett love album. His family music has been so well written and personal in the past, but on the lion’s share of “About a Woman,’ it is mostly very surface-level. It’s all a basic concept that sound doesn’t differentiate itself from other love songs. He effectively conveys the general idea, but few tracks resonate deeper, unlike “Life Changes” or “Country Again,” which stood out with Rhett’s personal touch.
“I Don’t Wanna Dance” is Thomas Rhett’s interpolation of Whitney Houston’s iconic hit “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” in which he sings about how he doesn’t want to dance with anybody else but his wife. This was an unnecessary track that continues to drive home the same point he’s been making in the 12 songs prior, but this time with a confusing Whitney Houston sample. Unfortunately, this mediocre, half-baked diddy will remind listeners of a song far above its weight class; without that sample, nothing stands out about this one.
There is also an element of repetition throughout the collection. While having a clear theme builds cohesion and helps the album flow, the songs begin to blend. “Boots” is one of the songs that keeps the listeners on their toes and changes things up because it has a country/blues sound; outside of that, it all is very similar both lyrically and sonically, which gets old relatively quickly. The repetitiveness could’ve been bearable without a track, but most of the record feels like unoriginal throwaway music.
Thomas Rhett had an opportunity to re-establish himself as one of the best in mainstream country music, and instead, he released a flimsy concept album that would be forgotten in a few weeks. We know Rhett is capable of much more quality work based on what we’ve heard in the past, and it’s just not displayed in About A Woman. Over a decade into his career, TR has found himself chasing hits instead of staying true to his craft and letting the hits come to him. It would be amazing to see him revert to his old ways in the future; if he doesn’t, his legacy as one of the 2010s’s radio mainstays may be seriously damaged.
