Center Point Road Thomas Rhett Artist

Facing his thirties, {|Thomas Rhett|} finds himself in a nostalgic frame of mind on {|Center Point Road|}. Named after the road he called home during his childhood, {|Center Point Road|} teems with memories both real and invented, yet the record rarely feels like a throwback. That's by design. {|Rhett|} may have cut his teeth within the swaggering confines of bro-country, penning hits for {|Florida Georgia Line|} and {|Jason Aldean|}, but as a recording artist, he's been fleet on his feet, more likely to ride a soulful groove than crank up a backwoods anthem. His fondness for R&B is married to a love of pop melody, elements that give his music elasticity -- a flexibility ideal for the shape-shifting streaming musical landscape of the late 2010s. A good chunk of {|Center Point Road|} could slide onto a pop play list and a listener would be none the wiser. That's as true of VHS, a gleefully transparent ode to the retro-glitz of {|Bruno Mars|}, as it is of Beer Can't Fix, a breezy beach duet with neo-trad singer {|Jon Pardi|}, whose presence conveys country authenticity the recording happily never attempts. All through {|Center Point Road|}, {|Rhett|} leans into this mellowly eclectic fusion, a sound that could be called crossover only if the singer didn't already record this blend on 2017's {|Life Changes|}. The two albums may be cousins, but {|Center Point Road|} does exhibit the kind of maturity that inspires reflection: he sculpts his personal experience into something that feels personal. It's growth for a songwriter who could occasionally be a little too on the nose -- witness the celebration of his wife's social media accounts on Life Changes -- and it's teamed with the most confident and quietly adventurous music he's yet made. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine