Hillbilly Bone

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Who else but Trace Adkins could help Blake Shelton nourish his inner hick on “Hillbilly Bone”? The title-track to this six song EP grooves with a “Cripple Creek”-inspired bumpkin-funk while the two New Traditional troubadours wax country mouse by suggesting that any and everyone has a little redneck soul inside of them. “Kiss My Country A*s” draws a line in the dirt and dares any naysayers to cross it. The sappy “You’ll Always Be Beautiful” hoodwinks listeners by starting out like a typical Nashville produced power ballad before the strangely sidesplitting lyrics unravel to reveal a hilarious parody on maudlin country music ballads. The rootsy “Can’t Afford to Love You” could be the catchiest number here with a grappling melody that blossoms under grinding Hammond organ, burning guitar twang and some customary I’m-just-a-poor-country-boy-playing-out-of-his-league lyrics. “Delilah” is the most country steeped ditty here, punctuated by lovelorn/second-chance musing, mandolin picking, phased Telecaster leads, flowing pedal steel notes and fiddles that saw right through the song with crystalline clarity.

via Apple Music