Story by Gabrielle Brunner / Contributing Writer
2017 ACM Male Vocalist Thomas Rhett released his third album, “Life Changes,” Friday, and the highly anticipated album includes both country and pop influences, centered around the singer-songwriter’s life experiences.
Leading up to the release, Rhett first dropped his single “Craving You,” which features country music favorite Maren Morris on backup vocals, and “Unforgettable,” Rhett’s latest pop-country radio track. Both successfully teased the 14-track album, which already hit No. 1 on the iTunes charts.
The third track, “Sixteen,” likely serves as the most relatable song featured on “Life Changes.” With a catchy crossover tune, Rhett sings about all those unavoidable teenage feelings centered on wanting to grow up quicker than life allows. The track begins at age 16 and fast-forwards to age 21, the longed-for legal adult age, before reminding listeners of a lesson that is paramount: While we grow up always yearning for the next exciting chapter in life, living in the moment is entirely important because one day we’ll all wish we were 16 again.
“Life Changes,” the album’s title track, is a personal favorite as it tells the story of Rhett and his beloved wife, Lauren, who together recently welcomed adopted daughter Willa Grey and biological daughter Ada James to the family. This track is sure to be a crowd-favorite, because Rhett’s fans are just as much in love with Lauren as they are the singer-songwriter. Rhett sings, “And now she got her own set of fans / she got a blue check mark by her Instagram / and I wrote a little song about holding her hand and / now everybody wanna die happy, man.”
Rhett truly lays it all out there as though he’s inviting his fans to read him like an open book. And although he continues to reach a young, millennial audience, he strategically targets a broader audience by including pop influences.
It’s no secret that Rhett is one of country music’s hottest acts today, but he somehow maintains a humble presence. He reached out to fans via Twitter by tweeting, “LIFE CHANGES is here! These 14 songs represent who I am today, I hope you can find yourself in each of them.”
For more information on Thomas Rhett, click here.
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