(The GreenRoom) Capitol Records Nashville artist Jon Pardi began careening down the highway over ten years ago, leading the charge to modernize honkytonk with roaring guitars and a roaring, good-time spirit. Pardi's reputation for punchy, against-the-wind bravado has only grown, with his upcoming fifth studio album Honkytonk Hollywood slated for release April 11. The 17-track album is the spiritual successor to his fearless breakout hits, and once again finds Pardi pulling out the stops to stay true to himself - yet giving his signature sound a new spark. Some tracks ring with pristine, pure-country tenderness, while others embrace fuzzed-out fiddles and soaring tripled guitars, or grungy bass lines and bottomless grooves. The title track, "Honkytonk Hollywood," sets the mood placed strategically in the core of the album. It's a grits-and-glitz tribute to the dual nature of Pardi's life and mindset, and is now available to stream.
"All my albums have been rock and roll with a country flare - this one keeps on rockin'," Pardi explains. "It's also the most grown-up record I've ever made, all my soul basically. 'Honkytonk Hollywood' is for the Nashville that's in my blood and it's also a nod to my California roots. And right now more than ever, I hope it's a way to honor and lift up the people of my home state."
Enlisting Jay Joyce for the first time as producer and stepping away from the traditional Nashville recording system, Pardi spent three solid weeks in the studio, building each track up from nothing with his touring band handling the vast majority of the recording. Starting the album off in overdrive, "Boots Off" explodes from the speakers with a brash guitar hook and roadhouse-rocking stomp, representing the first of many hot-and-heavy love songs. Tracks like the grungy "Rush" continue the flirtatious fun, fusing alt-rock attitude with a synthetic skid-row crunch and howling vocals, perfectly capturing the swirling ecstasy of desire. Likewise, "Love The Lights Out" melts into a steamy soul rocker with slide guitar hooks and a throbbing pulse - a soundtrack for love that takes its time - and "She Gets to Drinking" sways with an intoxicating swing. Meanwhile, others push boundaries even further sonically, with the current single "Friday Night Heartbreaker" pairing a dark, tortured blast of hard rock with a sleek singalong vocal. "Hey California" cruises down a Sunset Strip of '70s-style studio-rock sophistication - complete with dreamy vocal stacks and atmospheric guitars. And with the slow-grooving "Don't You Wanna Know," Pardi's twangy vocal pleads for romantic reconnection through a cloud of mellow, new-wave pop.
Elsewhere, family-minded balladry makes timeless trad-country feel modern, with tracks like "He Went to Work" tipping a hat to the steadfast fathers of the world. And Pardi calls the cinematic beauty of his lump-in-your-throat life ballad "She Drives Away" "undeniable." He goes all-in on the moody "Gambling Man," a busted flat tuxedo-twang warning to avoid his dice-rolling ways. And the two-stepper "Bar Room Blue" aches with a woozy, San Antonio swing. But by closing the set on "Kinda Wanna Keep It That Way," Pardi once and for all declares his creative independence. A tranquil, acoustic-groove anthem with the easy strut of self-confidence, its message sums up where the restless counter-country star is at - and ultimately, the foundation of his success. But no matter how far he roamed, Pardi's barbed-wire vocal fenced the new ground.
"We did what we wanted and it stands out because of it," Pardi goes on. "Taking the chance paid off, and I kind of want to keep it that way."
HONKYTONK HOLLYWOOD Track List:
1. Boots Off
2. Friday Night Heartbreaker
3. She Gets to Drinking
4. Gambling Man
5. Hey California
6. Rush
7. She Drives Away
8. He Went to Work
9. Last Call Thing
10. Honkytonk Hollywood
11. Love The Lights Out
12. Nice Place to Visit
13. Hard Knocks
14. Don't You Wanna Know
15. Bar Room Blue
16. Who I Don't Wanna Be
17. Kinda Wanna Keep It That Way
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