What You See Is What You Get

Luke Combs almost seems to be shrugging with the title What You See Is What You Get, a suspicion underscored by the albums perfunctory album art. Neither suggests that Combs harbors any grand ambitions, an impression that isnt strictly true. The North Carolinian styles himself as a humble singer carrying on country traditions steeped in the sounds of the 1990s but with roots that stretched back much earlier. Certainly, Combs leans into that heritage by inviting Brooks & Dunn to sing on the rowdy 1, 2 Many, one of many drinking tunes scattered throughout What You See Is What You Get. While he may kick up some dust, Combs is a sentimentalist, singing song after song about his home and heart. These are time-honored traditions in country and Combs never attempts to subvert expectations on What You See Is What You Get, or even freshen them up. He aims straight down the middle of the road, adding a few layers of gloss and punchier rhythms to a formula he established with his 2017 debut This Ones For You—slight alterations in the production that amount to an album that feels clean, slick and confident, a record that captures a singer embracing his burgeoning stardom. If there are any flaw to What You See Is What You Get, its that its very length can work against it. At 60 minutes, the album runs through so many sturdy midtempo tunes about family, heartbreak and love, that the seams holding together Combs everyday persona start to show—all the variations on a theme cant help but reveal the calculation behind the image—but taken on a song by song basis, What You See Is What You Get is a solid album, proudly made just the way they used to back in the 1990s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine