For You

At their heart, Parmalee are a pop group, not a country band. Theyll sing about Chevys and backroad girls, but their down-home feints are affectations to signal theyre shooting for a country, not urban, audience. Being a pop group doesnt simply mean Parmalee harmonize on sweet, sticky melodies. They also follow fashion, adding production flourishes to help their album sound modern. As such, their 2021 record For You overspills with light electronic R&B rhythms and features cameos by Fitz of Fitz & the Tantrums, Avery Anna, and Blanco Brown, the country rapper who had a big hit in 2019 with The Git Up. Just the Way, the song featuring Brown, reached number one Billboard Country Airplay back in 2019, so Parmalee werent in a rush to deliver For You. The extra time allowed the group to craft a seamless piece of a product, one thats pitched in the zone that separates adult contemporary and country -- a very specific niche and one this serves quite well. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine