A native of eastern Kentucky, Josh Martin splices country traditions with modern soul and pop inflections. On his "Just My Luck" and "How'd You Know" -- his first two major-label singles -- he plays with fleet R&B rhythms and phrasing but undergirds this with lean writing and a hint of twang. Martin began playing music as a child, singing songs in church and picking up the guitar when he turned ten years old. He played in a local bluegrass band during his teens, and after high school he sang and played guitar in a band called Fast Lane. Once the group split, he headed to Nashville in 2013. The self-released EP Sounds Like a Song arrived in 2015, and in 2016 he signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV. Treehouse Records signed Martin not much later and they released the soulful, simmering "How'd You Know" in March 2017, followed by "Just My Luck" in June. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine