After churning out seven studio albums (and a live one), touring relentlessly, and dealing with various labels since the mid-'90s, it just made more sense for Pat McGee to self-release his eighth album. No Wrong Way to Make It Right finds the Richmond, Va., tunesmith settling into a warm and rootsy kind of twang, void of Nashville’s shiny bells and whistles. “Release” opens with subtly catchy hooks grappling from the chorus melody, while chiming acoustic guitars strum along a lightly distorted electric six-string. But it’s the handsome, three-part vocal harmonies flowing throughout that make this song instantly likeable. The title track follows with more traditional country instrumentation: banjo, fiddles, and a perfectly picked Dobro guitar resonate under McGee’s earnest inflections. Lucy Woodward chimes in on the moving ballad “How We Got Here,” where her honeyed voice upstages the watery pedal-steel notes. Stephen Kellogg and Keaton Simons round out “See You Again” with awesome three-part harmonies.
More By Pat McGee
- 2004
- 1997
- 2016
- 2006
- Pat McGee Band
- Sister Hazel
- Ingram Hill
- Edwin McCain
- Ken Block
- Jason Adamo Band
- Will Hoge