We’ve been fans of Chris Janson ever since we heard ‘Buy Me a Boat’ back in 2015. Of course, he’d been writing & recording music for much longer than that, which he talks about in the interview we did with him in May which you can read here. Four great albums with Warner and big hits like ‘Drunk Girl’, Good Vibes’ and ‘Done’ along way the way have brought us here to new album, ‘The Outlaw Side of Me’ and a new label in Big Machine so it’s with some joy and relief that we can confidently tell you that ‘The Outlaw Side of Me’ is Janson’s most consistent, most impactful album to date: what a way to start this new phase of his career!
The album opens in breathless fashion with a triple whammy hit of uptempo, Rock ‘n’ Roll meets Country songs that really showcase the energy and the verve that Janson brings to his live shows in the studio. ‘Rowdy Gentle Man’ is a fiery rocker with a boogie woogie harmonica propelling it along as Janson explores the qualities he perceives country girls look for in their men. ‘He ain’t living for a like on Instagram…..every girl wants a rowdy, gentle man.’ he sings, channeling all his best Bob Seeger ‘Old Time Rock n Roll’ influences. Indeed, Janson even references ‘Risky Business’ at one point, the Tom Cruise film that made the Seeger song famous. ‘Honkytonk Minute’, meanwhile, is a piano driven Rock ‘n’ Roll banger which sees Janson letting loose on a Friday night. ‘Could have stayed home, but I didn’t!’ he declares, ‘Give me a fresh pearl snap and a pocket of cash, baby, I’ll be ready to roll.’ There’s an obvious nod to The Stones’ ‘Honkytonk Woman’ on the cadence of the chorus here but it’s all done in reverential style rather than direct imitation. The triumvirate of rockers is finished by the title track which is drenched in southern vibes and contains the dirtiest guitar riff you’ll hear this side of a Lynyrd Skynyrd song. There’s a ballsy, Eric Church-esque quality to this song and possibly the best guitar solo, Slash not withstanding, on the album.
This breathless opening is not just a flash in the pan. ‘The Outlaw Side of Me’ is a real super-charged Rock ‘n’ Roll record from beginning to end. ‘Hank the Hell out the Honky Tonk’ sees the harmonica and guitars working together in tandem as gang vocals lead lead us into a huge, rowdy chorus about having a good time in a bar. Brantley Gilbert helms verse two but it’s the chorus that hits hard in this powerful song that is one of many that contain a reference to Hank Williams Jr across this album. Similarly, ‘Tap That’, ‘GOAT’ and ‘Get it Right’ are all carved from the same bedrock. ‘Tap That’ opens with a pure, honest-to-goodness Johnny B Goode guitar riff and a whole bunch of honky tonk piano, ‘GOAT’ echoes other Janson songs like ‘Who’s Your Farmer’ in terms of the style as he sings about striving to be your best and being a ‘chateau not a cheap wine,’ and ‘Get it Right’ sounds like classic Aldean, Shelton and Paisley from that fecund 2009 to 2015 period on a chorus with vague ‘Buy Me a Boat’ overtones. Kudos to Chris Janson for sticking to what he does best and not chasing that Morgan Wallen or Bailey Zimmerman sound: this is an artist who knows what he does best and knows what his fans want from him.
No artist could sustain the sort of pace across a whole album and so there are three ballads to cleanse the palette and give the listener a little breather. ‘Days in the Field’ is a very personal, heartfelt song about the joy Janson gets from going hunting and fishing with his son but it is ‘Good Folks Going to Work’ and ’21 Forever’ that really steal the show here in terms of impact and quality. The former is a Bluesy tale of blue collar workers ‘bringing home the bacon’ that references the military, construction crews, teachers, farmers, first responders and the like on a relatable, inclusive and patriotic song that has a huge singalong chorus and a sort of Aerosmith ‘Crazy’ vibe whilst ’21 Forever’, the huge collaboration with Dolly Parton and Slash is simply stunning in its ambition and execution. There’s a huge ‘Nights in White Satin’ organ opening as Janson sings about growing up and ‘putting the bottle on the shelf, thinking of more than just yourself.’ Dolly takes the second verse and by the songs’ final third she’s belting out lyrics in an incredibly powerful way that you don’t get to hear too often from her anymore. Slash gets a typically melodic ‘Sweet Child of Mine’ solo and also gets a two minute ‘November Rain’ style outro as both singers give way to his guitar wizardry on this anthemic and impactful song.
If ’21 Forever’ isn’t sent to radio then ‘Every Day of the Week’, featuring Darius Rucker should be. Current single, ‘All I Need is You’, a tribute to Janson’s wife and an incredibly catchy and melodic song, is rising up the charts as we speak but ‘Every Day of the Week’ is the surprise or sleeper hit from ‘The Outlaw Side of Me’. It’s an uptempo, joyous song about being alive and free: about being a ‘mess but being blessed’. There’s some terrific gang vocals on the chorus, a highly inclusive singalong, and some neat Rock ‘n’ Roll guitars on this song which, to me, is the very definition of what Country radio should sound like.
Chris Janson is starting off this new phase of his career with what might well be his best album yet. If you dig good-time Rock ‘n’ Roll and southern Country riffs you are going to love the hell out of this turbo-charged, riffed-up-to-the-max album. Janson’s reputation as an energetic and effusive performer has finally been captured on record and the biggest problem he will have now is choosing which of these songs to NOT put in his live set because there is a very raw, live-feeling vibe about the album in general. It’s a rollercoaster of an album where the listener arrives, breathless and slightly dazed at the end of the ride and runs back round through all the barriers and fences to jump back on right away and go around all over again!
Tracklist: 1. Rowdy Gentle Man 2. Honkytonk Minute 3. The Outlaw Side of Me 4. All I Need Is You 5. Hank The Hell Out of The Honkytonk (featuring Brantley Gilbert) 6. Dirt In My Life 7. Tap That 8. Good Folks Goin’ To Work 9. GOAT 10. Get It Right 11. Every Day of the Week (featuring Darius Rucker) 12. 21 Forever (featuring Dolly Parton and Slash) 13. Days in the Field 14. 21 Forever (Original Version featuring Slash) Record Label: Big Machine Release Date: June 16th Buy ‘The Outlaw Side of Me’ now
