Illinois

Wacka-chicka guitars, shuffly disco-pop beats, and a soulful falsetto don’t usually make for much of a country song, but that’s just fine by Brett Eldredge, who gives the genre a bit of a makeover on Ilinois. Witness that funky strut on “You Can’t Stop Me” or the galloping rock of “Fire”—these tunes waste no time getting down to business. Still, when Eldredge wants to revel in classic country vibes, he does so confidently, getting reflective on “Lose It All” or taking it home on the big-band stomper “Illinois.”