Luke Bryan: Ill Stay Me

Country musician Luke Bryan has had some cuts redone by Travis Tritt, including “Honky Tonk History” but his new album is basically par for the new country course. Nicely packaged without the slightest of problems, songs like “Country Man” glide along in a glossy and safe manner. Nothing here is forced, but sadly nothing here sounds that challenging either. During the pop-tinted “Baby’s on the Way”, Bryan sounds like a cross between Brooks & Dunn and John Anderson — or any other average, adequate Nashville singer. Also, he comes off a bit like Tim McGraw on the song “The Car in Front of Me”. But perhaps the highlight is the light and finely tuned “I’ll Stay Me” while the Garth-ish “All My Friends Say” isn’t too shabby either and thankfully has a bit more bite.