Last Resort: Greetings From＜Colored Vinyl＞

As a title, The Last Resort carries a vague air of desperation -- youve run out of options, so youre stuck with this course of action -- but Midland never forget a resort is also a place of relaxation. Filled with candied harmonies and sweeter melodies, The Last Resort: Greetings From is designed to be a record to spin when you unwind. Itll chase away the blues and make a good time even better, as its songs about paychecks, longnecks, cowboys, and sunrises all feel warm and welcoming. Midland dont wallow in sadness, they shrug it away, knowing that theres another day and another margarita around the corner. This laissez faire attitude is accentuated by the groups dedication to the soft sounds of the early 80s, crafting a canny hybrid of slick Urban Cowboy and new traditionalist swagger. Unlike Let It Roll, where their retro fantasias glided by on the surface, The Last Resort: Greetings From teems with distinct shifts in mood, whether its the introduction of duet partner Jon Pardi on the barroom anthem "Longneck Way to Go," the percolating humor of "If I Lived Here," the hardwood boogie of "King of Saturday Night," or the twilight romance of "Take Her Off Your Hands." It all adds up to an album so easy and assured, its hard not to get swept up in its cool, breezy concoctions. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine