Cross Country

Cross Country is a clever titular pun for Breland: on this 2022 debut album, he covers a lot of ground, crossing musical streams in the process. Nominally country, Breland belongs to the streaming generation who doesnt recognize strict borders between genres. His album opens with "Here for It," a stirring pop duet with kindred spirit Ingrid Andress, then it slides into "County Line," a rapped salute to his hometown delivered to a lengthy loop of Sylvias yacht-country classic "Nobody." As the record progresses, Breland further blurs eras and sounds, adopting Shania Twains boot-scootin swagger for "Natural" then making a feint toward gospel on "Praise the Lord," a celebration of all manners of secular pleasures, hailing cold beer conversations and crispy chicken. The choices of duet partners -- in addition to Andress, Thomas Rhett, Lady A, Keith Urban, and Mickey Guyton are all here -- signal that Breland is firmly in the pop camp; he plays to all audiences under that umbrella, making music that could sound equally great in sports bars and waiting rooms. From a certain angle, this eagerness to please could almost read as pandering but the nifty thing about Breland is his light touch: hes a sweet, earnest presence that helps make Cross Country state-of-the-art pop circa 2022. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

トラック(車)について歌うノヴェルティ・ソング的なデビュー曲"My Truck"でいきなりバズったニュージャージー出身の黒人カントリー歌手。当初は戦略的にリル・ナズXに続くカントリー・トラップ的な側面を見せていたが、このフル・アルバムではいわゆるラッパー然とした部分は大幅に後退し、本来の持ち味であろうR&Bオリエンテッドな歌唱表現をハイブリッドな音で伸びやかに聴かせる。シャナイア・トゥエイン"Man! I Feel Like A Woman!"を引用した元気な"Natural"、アコースティックで自伝的な先行ヒット"Cross Country"(アルバム版には先達のミッキー・ガイトンが客演)、さらにはスティーブン・マクレガーによるレゲエ調、サザン・ソウル風味の終曲まで、いい歌によるいい曲が揃っている。好盤。
bounce (C)出嶌孝次