If In Case You Feel The Same [Red & Purple]

Cockrell always teetered on the edge of pop and country, and the evolution past the idea of being stuck in a genre box has served him well.

This time around we hear him feeling completely free to fuse it all together — the big, melodic anthems, the twangier folk-y bits of himself, the honest, guy-with-a-guitar sound — all ruled over by his reedy, gorgeous vocals. Book-ended by a two-part title track, the album takes us on an emotional rollercoaster of epic gospel-inspired moments (“Fill My Cup”), romantic, slinky slow jams (“Love Moves In”), and soulful declarations of the power of positive thinking (“Higher”). The latter, an invigorating jolt co-sung with Brittany Howard, grows and grows before going out in a puff of intoxicating smoke. Similarly, “Swingin’,” cowritten with Z Berg, is a power-pop triumph that uplifts us in a burn-it-all-down, nothing-left-to-lose kind of way.

—
No Depression

*pressing color may vary