It’s been seven years since Tyler Farr first broke out with his hit single ‘Redneck Crazy’ and five years since he released any new music. Now Farr is back with the Jason Aldean-produced EP ‘Only Truck in Town.’ He says that this four-song collection “really speak[s] to who I am,” but all I hear is Aldean’s brand of bro-country lowering the quality of music I know Farr is capable of. Frankly, I’m tired of some male singers thinking they can only sing about women and trucks. It feels uninspired, which is disappointing, because I like Farr’s earlier work a lot. Even the lead single and title track, which frames the woman as special and therefore he’s thankful that she chose him, feels like “let’s spin it this way so it seems like we actually care about female empowerment.” And it still finds a way to put the focus back on the guy, so it all feels a bit disingenuous. ‘Soundtrack to a Small Town Sundown’ has a great vocal performance, but not much else. The song with the most heart is by far is ‘I Wish Dogs Could Live Forever.’ It both humanizes the dog and to an extent humanizes Farr because he doesn’t come off as this manufactured machine with a checklist of what he’s allowed to sing about. It might be the only song I’d give a repeat listen to, but otherwise this EP is a huge skip in my mind. Make your own conclusions by listening to the EP here.
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