Kane Brown - “Different Man” album review
Kane Brown has always had a unique style. He’s never fit the traditional “country artist” mold. Diehard country fans say “he’s too pop” and his collaborations with artists like Khalid, Marshmello and Becky G, among others, don’t exactly help his case. Then the pop crowd thinks Brown is too “twangy”.
No matter what Brown does, he has always been polarizing. Brown’s “Different Man” album is the perfect encapsulation of Brown’s artistry, because his style is truly different, and the album evidences that in a big way.
With “Different Man”, Brown bounces from love songs dedicated to his wife, country music and his home state, with a glimpse of old school country rock, to painful heartbreaks in the form of beautifully written ballads.
Brown kicks off the album with arguably one of the best songs on the entire record, “Bury Me in Georgia.” The rock/country blend is already being added to my gym playlist as we speak.
Brown takes a different tone from his typical pop/ballad style, straying into the rock genre as he dedicates a song to ending his life happily, as long as it’s in Georgia. The sound effects of an ominous build in, followed by birds chirping and bugs making noise throughout the song, the editing and the electric guitar on this song take it to a whole extra level.
On the opposite side of things, “Grand” sees Brown dive back into a true pop style, kicking the song off testing his rap skills, working off of beat drops and describing how fantastic his life is and how “he doesn’t want this life to end.” The song fails to connect, as the message and the lyrics just aren’t there, but one has to respect Brown’s devotion to not conforming to anyone’s style.
After bouncing between those styles, Brown wins over his ballad fans with three that absolutely take the cake and take this album up a few notches. “Losing You” and “Thank God”, alongside his wife Katelyn are beautiful odes to love and to his and his wife’s beautiful marriage.
Then, Brown goes back into his heartbreak ballads with “Whiskey Sour,” an emotional song about losing a love and being forced to drown out the pain with a drink his ex used to order him.
There are certainly weak points with the album, as a handful songs were already prereleased and aside from a few notable new ones, the album is packed with filler songs that just weren’t memorable. Brown’s lyrics are lacking at points and some songs felt bland and cliché.
Aside from Brown’s devotion to creating his own style that is incredibly admirable, the other biggest selling point of the album has to be Brown’s growth. He’s grown as a lyricist and a vocalist and it’s incredibly evident. As he says in the album’s titular song “Different Man,” alongside Blake Shelton, he’s a different man and this isn’t your typical country album, but for what it is, it’s unique and fun.
Rating: 7/10
Reviewer’s Favorite Songs: “Bury Me in Georgia”, “Whiskey Sour” & “Thank God”
Reviewer’s Least Favorite Songs: “Grand”
Dylan Price is a second-year majoring in journalism. To contact him, email dvp5625@psu.edu.
