Luke Combs’ chart-conquering “Hurricane,” a stormy torch song about a love the narrator just can’t quit, heralded the 2016 arrival of a towering new voice in country music. Combs’ North Carolina-tinged vocals—a combination of grit and soul as suited to intimate moments as arena-rocking grandeur—were something of a revelation in Music City; he clearly had the range. By the time his debut album, 2017’s This One’s for You, made good on the promise of “Hurricane,” Combs had just turned 27. His gruff voice and deft songwriting hand provided evidence that he was an industry-shaking talent. When Combs moved to Nashville in 2014, he made a point of working with untested names, like Ray Fulcher, with the intent of just writing songs that Southern boys like themselves would like to hear. He shows his age on songs like the rollicking drinking anthem “Beer Can” and the album’s second single “When It Rains It Pours,” a triumphant tale of a dumped slacker who hits an unbelievable “redneck roll” of good fortune. But even on his first album, it was clear Combs contains multitudes. “When It Rains It Pours” leads directly into the title track, a moving ode to the friends, family, and fans who supported him on his path to country stardom. On the earthy “I Got Away With You,” Combs sincerely compares his luck in love with pulling off a heist of the Crown Jewels. He turns the mood around again with “Honky Tonk Highway,” a roadhouse banger that recalls the punchy classics of Brooks & Dunn. Shuttling between these vibes sets the tone for Combs’ career, identifying him as an authentic presence in Nashville, a sensitive and down-to-earth balladeer who can also turn up and rock out. The 2018 deluxe reissue, dubbed This One’s for You Too, adds five tracks to the original that largely flesh out Combs’ sensitive side, with songs like the sweet “Beautiful Crazy” and heartbroken “She Got the Best of Me” paving the album’s way to going multiple times Platinum.
Other Versions
- 12 Songs
- 2023
- 2022
- Luke Bryan
- Florida Georgia Line
- Jason Aldean
- Cody Johnson
- Chris Young