It is perhaps a sign of the times that over half the songs from this album have trickled out at a steady rate during the last year or so, likely to feed the way many consume music in 2021. However the time has arrived for the LP format to move onto centre stage as Lainey Wilson takes her bow as a recording artist on Broken Bow Records, an established sub-label operating in the mainstream of country music. For this her second album, she has been teamed up with influential producer Jay Joyce and a battalion of co-writers to bring the essence of her raw credentials to fruition. The result is SAYIN' WHAT I'M THINKIN' - a vivacious album carefully curated to evolve contemporary country music in a mindful way.
Make no mistake this is a luscious slice of country pop that at least creates some distance from the competition pumping music into the ears of a target audience via the omnipresent algorithms. You could even say it is on the front line taking the fight to other popular music genres that effectively operate in the brave new world. The album projects a slice of southern identity that has on a wider scale been open to debate in 2021, but doesn't wholly rely on a pre-determined template that can define country music from an industry perspective in many cases.
What keeps this album in the credit column are an abundance of hooks, infectious tunes and a purposeful delivery. Wilson does have a blueprint of many familiar themes, but she executes them well and has that never to be under rated knack of keeping the listener refreshed throughout the duration of the twelve tracks. She majors on the upbeat party anthems and the poignant moments where there is a determination for the intended message to prevail.
There is both a brashness and sensibility to what Lainey Wilson offers on SAYIN' WHAT I'M THINKIN'. Factions of the album do splinter from the directed target into the sphere of those with a more measured approach to country music. There is no denying she is a talented performer. A marker has been suitably placed that her reach has the potential to branch out. Whether you feast on this album from start to finish or prefer to cherry pick some of the subtler moments, an active space can be found in the listening repertoire, and an enhanced scope of its relevance ensues.
Tracks that lifted this from the pile were Neon Diamonds, Sunday Best, Things Man Oughta Know, WWDD, Rolling Stone and Sayin' What I'm Thinkin'.
