This One’s for You, the debut album by Luke Combs, was released on June 2nd, 2017. Luke Combs, who is one of the biggest names in country music, has come quite far from this debut album. Commercially, this album has gone 5 times platinum, so it definitely has seen success. In addition, the album has sold nearly 2.5 million units sold in the United States. The album was preluded with three singles, being “Beautiful Crazy,” “Hurricane,” and “One Number Away.”

Introduction

Personally, I find this as Luke’s best album in his discography. It seems to have the most emotional connection to him. It’s pure emotions at times, and I am all for it. It brings the rawest vocals out of him, and he sounds extraordinary when he hits those notes.

In addition, the production here throughout is phenomenal, displaying experimentation of different styles. Whether just using a different style or experimenting with different instruments, it hits at all ends. The structure of the songs remains quite straightforward, but in the end does its job to bring the meaning out of songs. Between the structure and lyricism, Luke delivers on his intentions on this album.

Vocal Performance

Luke’s vocal performance on his tracks is one of his best aspects. He can hit notes a lot of people cannot in country, which makes him quite marketable. Especially on this album, he showcases his extraordinary capabilities. My favorite vocal performance on this album comes on “One Number Away.” He genuinely is just showcasing his raw vocals, which tops his talents off. He sounds great hitting the high notes he does and doesn’t seem to be pushing his limits ever.

Back to his marketability, he can go from the raw vocals on “One Number Away” to a song like “When It Rains It Pours,” which again shows how great of a singer he truly is. Going from two different vocal levels and tempos is a strong suit for Luke. All in all, his voice truly connects with the instrumental with ease, which brings a stronger emphasis to the meanings.

Production

Going along with the instrumentals, they are another strong point on this project. Luke said that he was proud of this album as there is no song that sounds alike, and there is validity to this statement. Every song has a unique style, whether it is the instruments used to capitalize on the beat or overall style, there is variety here. And that adds to this album.

He experiments at times, and a song like “Honky Tonk Highway” stands out due to this. Many songs really benefit from this, however, also benefit from the seamless integration with the rest of the track. The vocals, as I have stated, mesh wonderfully with the instruments on every track. Not only this, but the flow in which the song moves across is created through the instrumental and is almost intertwined. Bring all this together and the production here is top notch, really making the project stand out in the genre.

Intentions

Finally, we have the intentions of the album. Every song has some connection to Luke, which again, brings the most out of him. With every track having a purpose, it makes each song connect deeper to the listener. From track one to track seventeen, there isn’t one song that has the same storyline or meaning as another. Every album I have reviewed to this point, there were similar purposes behind many songs. This is a small thing, but I find it to make this album stand out more than another generic country project.

Luke brought his all out, emotionally, and hit everywhere. Keeping a simple song structure, he was able to pack a punch in every line. The lack of diversity doesn’t hurt the album. It almost benefits the album as Luke was forced to be top notch on his lyricism, which he was. His words throughout, brought meaning, which built tremendous character.

Conclusion

All in all, I think it is fair to say this is certainly more than a good country album. I fail to see any hate for this album, as it hits on every margin you would like a country album to hit. It has some of Luke’s most commercially successful songs, and I still hear some of these tracks on the radio to this date.

Strongest Track: The strongest track here is certainly “One Number Away.” I am a sucker for raw vocals and pure emotions coming together on a song. And that is what this song is. Luke just spewing how he feels on a failed relationship. It has the connection to the listener, which to me all combines the song to a certified masterpiece.

Rating: Essential Listen

Final Notes

As always, take the reviews as opinion pieces. Not everyone will share the same views. These pieces are meant to bring music listeners together. Finally, go give This One’s for You Too a listen for yourself and leave your thoughts below.