Chase Rice “I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell” – Album Review

Chase Rice’s new album, I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell is out now, February 10th on all streaming platforms. Take a listen and read our full review below.

On I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell, Chase Rice is reintroducing himself to country music fans. Despite co-writing Florida Georgia Line’s powerhouse “Cruise” and having hits of his own with songs like “Ready Set Roll,” “Eyes on You” and “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen.,” the BBR recording artist looked inward and realized he was chasing something that wasn’t true to who he is as an artist or a person.

Born during time off due to the Covid pandemic, Rice’s new album features thirteen tracks that he wrote or co-wrote while isolated, introspective, and off the road. “This record is all those sunrises and sunsets and road trips and firepits distilled into 13 chapters of my journey, which reveal pieces of myself I hid in plain sight for years. Even from myself at times,” Rice reveals in a statement. “It is quite different from anything you’ve ever heard from me – and it’s the proudest I’ve ever been of a body of work.”

The album was crafted with Oscar Charles at Rice’s rural Tennessee home studio, and features a photo of his late father, Dan Rice, on the cover. In addition to Rice, other co-writers on the album include FGL’s Brian Kelley, Corey Crowder, Hunter Phelps, Josh Hoge, Ross Copperman, Brad Tursi, and HARDY.

The album is a stark departure from the “Cruise”-lite type of tracks that Rice has released in the past, and shows him stretching himself as both an artist and a songwriter. Prime indicators of Rice’s evolution include his stirring ode to man’s best friend, “Bench Seat,” the stomping “Way Down Yonder,” the apologetic “Sorry Mama,” and the introspective “I Walk Alone.”

Opening with the twangy “Walk That Easy,” it’s immediately clear that this is a more mature Chase Rice, as he shares his ode to the type of true love that doesn’t fade.

Additionally, the pair of tracks that make up the album’s title are two of the most unique songs here, offering clever lyrical twists. On “All Dogs Go To Hell,” Rice uses reverse psychology as he muses over the opposites of life. “I don’t miss you baby,” he croons. “And all dogs go to hell.” Meanwhile, the tongue-in-cheek “I Hate Cowboys” has him losing a girl to a cowboy who seems too good to be true.

“When you listen to the song you of course get that I don’t actually hate cowboys – I’m really fortunate to call several of them great friends,” muses Rice. “But damn, doesn’t it make you crazy when Mr. Steal Your Girl kicks open the door — with that hat and those Wranglers, and he can two-step better than you, talk cooler than you? ‘I Hate Cowboys’ is an ode to the fact that just like Taylor Sheridan writes in ‘Yellowstone,’ if it were easier everyone would cowboy…hell, I wish I could!”

On “Bench Seat,” Rice was inspired by a friend who found himself in a dark place, ready to take his own life until his dog saved him. “I wrote this song by myself with the point of view from the dog’s perspective – which might not be obvious right away – and what that moment might have meant for the two of them if not for that intervention.”

On “Way Down Yonder,” Rice offers a stomping, gritty track in celebration of the mountains of North Carolina where he grew up, while “Oklahoma” features driving guitars and a wild guitar solo that we can’t wait to witness in person.

Rice is incredibly introspective on tracks like “Sorry Mama,” “I Walk Alone,” “Life Part of Livin’” and “Key West and Colorado.” The latter pair both find Rice moving on, letting go, and letting God, finding himself out somewhere on the road.

“Somewhere between Key West and Colorado // I found God in a gold Silverado // Had to get a little lost to get a little found // Learned you can’t find love if you can’t slow down”

“Bad Day to Be a Cold Beer” is an immediate standout, born from a golf course conversation. It finds Rice celebrating the joys that can be found at the bottom of a bottle of your favorite beer, and is a perfectly-crafted summer anthem. 

Of I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell, Rice reveals that he wouldn’t have used his father’s photo for the cover if the album wasn’t one he was certain he’d be proud of. “Not only is it the most vulnerable I’ve ever been, it’s also something he’d enjoy listening to and is full of stories I wish I could tell him. I’ve always wanted to honor him by using this photo as an album cover, and I know this project is the one that deserves that.”

With his newest offering, Chase Rice is showing a different side to himself, in the best way possible. He’s more introspective and more country than ever before, and the result is a solid album that we’re sure would make his father proud.

I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell Track List: