Aaron Schwab
Staff Writer
Seemingly expected to have been categorized with the rest of the other male country artists all over the radio, Sam Hunt takes a more relaxed, romantic stance on his R&B-influenced debut album, “Montevallo.”
While most contemporary country rock stars lean on high tempo, bouncy hip-hop beats and fast-moving raps to accompany their dirt-road sound, Hunt turns to R&B romanticism. “Montevallo,” cleverly combines the two contrasting genres of music to create a blend of the best in both sides.
Hunt is an American country singer-songwriter who became musically active in 2011. On August 12, 2014, Hunt released “X2C,” a four song EP, intended as a preview of his first full-length studio album, “Montevallo.” The EP debuted sold a total of eight thousand copies in its first week. On September 14, 2014, his single “Leave the Night On” was certified gold.
Hunt’s unique but entrancing sound originally owes its roots to country music but has an eclectic style that’s based on pop, urban, folk and R&B influences. Sam incorporates less misogyny even though the language often used is very “Pop Culture” and Urban, such as in his hit “Leave the Night On.” He also dials back the kind of profanity and lyrical clichés that are still expressed by the founders of the much hated trend, Florida Georgia Line.
The album opens with “Take Your Time,” which starts with Hunt speaking quickly and melodically in a style he first expressed earlier on his EP mixtape. Halfway into the song, he moves into a multi-tracked R&B croon. When the chorus arrives, it suddenly sounds like a remix 3 Doors Down’s “Here Without You” melody, purposely throwing off the listener into a spiral of different reactions to his unique approach.
To further express Hunt’s affinity for all forms of pop, his “Single in the Summer” is elegantly mournful in the mode of artist Lana Del Rey. There is a programmed beat, whirring synthesizer,and a unpretentious vocal common in the captivating mainstream: “I’ve gone off the deep end, the company I’m keeping is messing me up; the good girls are home sleeping, while I’m out creepin’ till the sun comes up.”
There really is only one thing connecting Hunt to country: the love of wordplay in his songwriting. Sam turns the expressions around, relishes overlapping sounds, and cleverly exemplifies the big difference that a small word can make, like “ecstasy” in his song “Ex to see.”
“Montevallo” is an abstract debut that really hit the spot for contemporary style country and paved the road for a more “hip” approach to the genre. Hunt successfully fuses pop culture into the classic country banter to attract fans from all walks of life and unlike his peers, he reaches out with a softer aura in his music.
“Montevallo” is available digitally and in retail for $9.99.
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