If Tim McGraw took a few interesting risks on 2013’s “Two Lanes of Freedom,” he’s back to business as more-or-less usual on “Sundown Heaven Town.”
While there is nothing as giddily enjoyable as the left-field “Mexicoma” or as lovely as “Book of John,” the 13-track “Sundown” is a solid effort featuring a few stand-out tracks, slightly better than average radio fare, and some pleasant filler. McGraw does a creditable job of sidestepping any naked pandering to trends, balancing authentic country atmosphere with pop polish.
It’s meaningful in the current climate that McGraw opens with a song awash in prominent banjo, mandolin, and pedal-steel licks, “Overrated,” a chugging ode to love being all we need.
Elsewhere, there’s a real back-porch warmth to ballads like the wistful “Portland, Maine” and the melancholy saloon song “Diamond Rings and Barstools.” And “Sick of Me” is a soaring anthem in the mold of McGraw favorite Lionel Richie, which indulges his propensity for squealing, sometimes disruptive rock guitar solos.
ESSENTIAL “Diamond Rings and Barstools”