Lee Brice
's calling card is his understated touch, so titling his fourth album after himself isn't so much a statement of purpose as it is a reflection of his unassuming nature: he's not flashy, he doesn't swagger, he's simply sturdy and reliable.
is cut from the same cloth as its 2014 predecessor,
I Don't Dance
, alternating between meditative anthems and sensitive love songs, both punctuated by the occasional party tune. One of the differences in this eponymous affair is that
Brice
seems to have mortality on his mind. He opens the proceedings pondering life and death on "What Keeps You Up at Night" and writes a valentine to his son on "Boy"; he remembers growing up and singing "Songs in the Kitchen." This sentimental streak can sometimes pull
toward the melancholic, so it's welcome when he brings
Warren Haynes
in for the funky workout "I Don't Smoke" or when he slides into a seductive soul groove on "Rumor." Such sly changes in pace illustrate what a gifted craftsman
is: he knows how to modulate mood without ever drawing attention to what he's doing. At times, he's so subtle that the album can sometimes seem like it's offering variations on a theme, but by the time the record wraps up it's evident that he's gone deep on the subjects and sounds that obsess him so. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine