Jon Pardi: ‘Honkytonk Hollywood’ – Album Review

Since bursting onto the country music scene over a decade ago with songs like “Missin’ You Crazy” and “What I Can’t Put Down,” Jon Pardi has always forged his own path in the genre. Now, with the release of his fifth full-length album, Honkytonk Hollywood, Pardi continues to do just that.

For the California native, the 17-track collection represents a slightly different side of the acclaimed singer-songwriter as he dabbles in new sounds and styles. Produced by the legendary Jay Joyce and recorded with his touring band, the Capitol Records Nashville offering features eight tracks co-written by Pardi along with the likes of Jackson Dean, Ryan Hurd, Hailey Whitters, Seth Ennis, Hillary Lindsey, Luke Laird, and more. The result is a unique mix of traditional country paired with hints of rock and roll, blues, and even a bit of pop soul.

“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.”

While Pardi’s home state of California lends its influences to Honkytonk Hollywood, the album is definitely more Nashville than Los Angeles. This is evidenced immediately by the one-two punch of the album’s opening tracks: “Boots Off” and “Friday Night Heartbreaker.” “Boots” kicks things off with an explosive and ear-grabbing flirty stomp that uses playful instrumentation to compliment the sexy lyrics, followed immediately by “Friday Night Heartbreaker,” which pairs a soulful bass line and sultry melody.

“Ooh, she’ll get you hypnotized // Leave you victimized // She’s a Friday night heartbreaker // Ooh, she’ll get you with them eyes // Devil in disguise // She’s a Friday night heartbreaker // Hellraiser, game player // Better do yourself a favor”

Much like “Boots Off,” Pardi doubles down on the romance on songs like “Last Call Thing,” “Rush” and “Love the Lights Out.” The latter pairs sizzling slide guitars with seductive lyrics, while “Rush” is a 90’s-alt-leaning rock country song about the buzz of new love. It allows Pardi to dabble in a different style that works incredibly well with his unique vocal styling.

He dabbles in the sounds of Laurel Canyon on “Hey California,” which finds him downtrodden after losing his love to the Golden State. “Tell me why your sunshine went and stole mine away from me?” He asks longingly.

“She Drives Away” is the immediate standout on the album, a lush tearjerker of a song that pairs buoyant instrumentation with a heart melting lyrical tale of the full circle patterns of life. Here, Pardi transitions from being a kid taking a daddy’s girl on a date to being a father watching his own little girl leave on her first date.

“She drives away and he’s scared to death // You hold the wheel, he holds his breath // You ain’t thinking ’bout it, thinking how it feels like yesterday // He drove her home, now she drives away”

The “Dirt On My Boots” singer continues down a storyteller path on songs like “Hard Knocks,” ‘Gamblin’ Man” and “He Went to Work.” On “Gamblin’ Man,” he warns a woman not to gamble her heart away with someone who can’t quit his vices, while “He Went to Work” celebrates the fathers of the world and the sacrifice they made for their families. “Hard Knocks” is a blistering and catchy rocker, allowing Pardi to flex his unique growl on the triumphant tale.

“I come from the school of hard knocks // The one my dad and his dad and his daddy taught // I learned early that you better learn fast // How to get back up when life knocks you flat on your back // And you don’t back down // When the going gets tough // You ask for some more // When you had enough // When fear is a cold steel hammer that drops You answer the door anytime hard knocks”

The album’s glittering title track tells of a woman who’s equal parts city and country, “She’s a little sunset, she’s a little neon,” he muses about the girl who “fell in love with the singer in a band.”

“She’s my blue-eyed blue jean baby // Kinda California crazy // My dance floor diamond shining like the stars on Rodeo // Kinda country, kinda city // She’s West Coast down home pretty // Got no business looking that damn good // Honkytonk Hollywood”

While Pardi can throw down a two-stepper with the best of them, he shines on ballads like “Don’t You Wanna Know,” “Bar Room Blue,” “Nice Place to Visit” and “She Gets to Drinking.” “Nice Place” is an introspective and soulful piano ballad that finds him grappling with his demons as a ramblin’ man, musing, “I’m a nice place to visit, but you wouldn’t want to stay.” Meanwhile, “She Gets to Drinking” is a swinging ballad about a woman who lets her guard down after a heartbreak and a few drinks.

“When she gets to drinking // Her hair starts falling // When she gets to dancing // Last call ain’t ever calling // She gets every head spinning from the buzz she’s getting // She puts the stars under the neon moon // When she gets to drinking, she gets me drinking too”

The album’s penultimate track, “Who I Don’t Want to Be” is a building and almost anthemic confessional that finds him admitting his sins, acknowledging his mistakes, and looking at being a better man. It’s followed immediately by the album’s closing track, the funky “Kinda Wanna Keep It That Way,” an embrace of authenticity and not changing for anyone.

On Honkytonk Hollywood, Jon Pardi does just that. “We did what we wanted, and it stands out because of it,” he reveals in a statement. “Taking the chance paid off, and I kind of want to keep it that way.”  

Country Swag Picks:

1. She Drives Away
2. Boots Off
3. Rush
4. Hard Knocks
5. Who I Don’t Wanna Be

Honkytonk Hollywood Track List:

1. Boots Off (Jon Pardi, Luke Laird, Wyatt McCubbin)
2. Friday Night Heartbreaker (Jessie Jo Dillon, Ryan Hurd, Josh Miller, Daniel Ross, Chris Tompkins)
3. She Gets to Drinking (Jon Pardi, Hillary Lindsey, Hailey Whitters)
4. Gambling Man (Josh Kear, Josh Miller, Chris Tompkins)
5. Hey California (Ben Johnson, Jordan Minton, Hunter Phelps, John Reno Prentice)
6. Rush (Jon Pardi, Ross Copperman, Brice Long)
7. She Drives Away (Zach Abend, Jimi Bell, Seth Ennis, Jordan Minton)
8. He Went to Work (Dan Alley, Brandon Kinney, Neil Medley)
9. Last Call Thing (Jon Pardi, Casey Brown, Luke Laird, Travis Wood)
10. Honkytonk Hollywood (Bart Butler, Benjy Davis, Jacob Paul Rice)
11. Love The Lights Out (Jon Pardi, Jimi Bell, Matt Dragstrem)
12. Nice Place to Visit (Pryor Baird, Billy Lawson, James LeBlanc)
13. Hard Knocks (Jackson Dean, Jeff Hyde, Ryan Tyndell)
14. Don’t You Wanna Know (Jon Pardi, Luke Laird, Hillardy Lindsey)
15. Bar Room Blue (Jon Pardi, Luke Laird, Josh Thompson)
16. Who I Don’t Wanna Be (Jon Pardi, Rhett Akins, Will Bundy)
17. Kinda Wanna Keep It That Way (Marv Green, Jeff Hyde, Brice Long)

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Honkyonk Hollywood is now available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released music here on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.