One would be hard pressed to find a lot of modern country artists who have shown an interest in paying homage to the industry’s roots through their work. Turn on the radio today, and it seems like many of the tracks racking up plays are of the overproduced, cookie-cutter variety that lack attention to meaningful songwriting and a raw sound.
But the same can’t be said for Parker McCollum’s latest self-titled album.
Having taken the industry by storm with chart-topping hits like “Pretty Heart” and “Burn It Down,” the Texas native’s newest project represents some of his best work to date. Combining traditional elements from his debut album (The Limestone Kid) with his always stellar lyricism, McCollum offers fans a record they won’t be able to stop playing.
Among some of the most stand-out tracks is “Solid Country Gold.” Written by McCollum, Jon Randall, and The Warren Brothers, the song details the story of a good ole country boy living in a time he no longer recognizes. Accompanied by a mix of electric and acoustic guitars and a steady drumbeat, McCollum sings in the continually changing chorus, “Whoa-oh-oh, where did all the good times go? I give my last nickel to hear me a little, Guy Clark on the radio.”
The Texas native’s ride on nostalgia was also particularly poignant in “Sunny Days, ” a mid-tempo track in which McCollum recounts the flood of memories and accompanying emotions experienced while rummaging through a “box of photographs.” Incorporating nods to pivotal life moments (“some birthdays and the day my granddad died”), McCollum invites the audience to take a moment to reminisce on the key moments in their own lives in the chorus’ closing bars.
And that picture on the windowsill, I’ve always kept and always will,
I close my eyes and start to cry, I’m right back there on a dime.
Mister, do you mind if I just stand here and remember all my sunny days?
While unique in their own rights, both songs demonstrate McCollum’s ability to connect with his audience on a personal level.
American life in the 2020s is much different than it was even 10 years ago, making it easy to see oneself as the man in “Solid Country Gold” who’s living in a culture completely foreign to him. And it is emotional touchpoints like that which McCollum is able to home in on and eloquently express through his creative writing.
But upbeat songs such as these, “Come On,” and “Big Sky” are only part of the masterpiece that is McCollum’s fifth studio album. The record also includes its share of emotionally charged slow songs like “Permanent Headphones.”
During a recent appearance on the “Bobby Bones Show,” McCollum told the story of how he wrote the latter track when he was 15 while in a Jack in the Box parking lot. According to McCollum, it was with this song that his older brother Tyler — an artist who helped inspire Parker’s interest in music — believed that he had finally become a real songwriter.
The lyrics and simplistic (yet impactful) production of “Permanent Headphones” certainly drive that point home. Even at 15, McCollum showcased an ability to write beyond his years, telling the tale of a young man meandering through life while using his “permanent headphones” as a form of escapism. In the song’s chorus, he sings:
Yeah, we’re creeping out late just to go insane,
Making time fly right through our brains.
A change of season is a change in my soul,
Backroads racing through my permanent headphones.
Other noteworthy tracks on the self-titled project include “Killin’ Me,” “My Worst Enemy,” and a hauntingly acoustic rendition of Chris Knight’s “Enough Rope.”
Taken collectively, Parker McCollum demonstrates the growth of an artist who has stayed true to his Texas roots while expanding his horizons as a storyteller and musician. Through strong writing and well-executed instrumentals, he’s able to deliver songs audiences want to hear and leave them clamoring for more.
That’s the hallmark of any great artist. And without a doubt, McCollum keeps proving himself as such.