Things That We Drink To

Editors’ Notes There’s a long tradition of drinking songs in country music, mostly involving narrators curled up at the bottom of a bottle, trying to forget their troubles. Not Morgan Evans. Things That We Drink To is essentially an extended toast—to his new wife, Kelsea Ballerini (“Dance With Me”), to his new home (“American”), or just to youth (“Young Again”). The Aussie native is either “drinkin’ about somebody” in lead single "Kiss Somebody," or getting figuratively “drunk without a drop of wine” on the matrimonial “I Do.” Maybe he’s wasting a bottle of New Year’s champagne on “Day Drunk” or celebrating a love that's “better than the buzz I get from drinking” on “Me on You.” If there’s a happy moment, or a sad moment, in Evans’ life, he’s ready with a raised glass and an apt metaphor. The title track—also the album’s emotional centerpiece—is a memorial to his late manager, who died in a motorcycle accident. Even in such a dire circumstance, Evans prefers to “raise up a tall glass” to his friend’s memory, cheering “the hurt that we heal, the songs that we sing, the hope that we know tomorrow can bring.”