From the opening track of Lambs & Lions, it’s clear how far Chase Rice has come from the urban-inflected party country of his previous album. “Lions” kicks things off with an arty-but-infectious alt-pop feel that alternates between ominous and exultant, while the cinematic, piano-laden ballad "Amen" could have come off a Coldplay album if not for Rice's Southern twang. Even when Rice gets unabashedly rootsy on the stomping "Jack Daniel’s Showed Up," he can't resist tossing some modern-rock touches into the mix.