Jordan Davis: ‘Learn The Hard Way’ – Album Review

Jordan Davis’ new album, Learn The Hard Way is out now, August 15th on all streaming platforms. Listen to the new album below.

With his third studio album, Learn the Hard Way, Jordan Davis leans fully into the balance of polished country-pop and swampy, soulful roots that has made him one of Nashville’s most consistent hitmakers. The MCA Nashville record not only delivers the infectious hooks fans have come to expect but also showcases a deeper, more personal side of Davis’s artistry.

On the follow up to 2023’s Bluebird Days, Davis flawlessly blends Bayou grit with soulful introspection, exploring new sonic territory without straying from familiar themes. The Louisiana native wrote or co-wrote 13 of the album’s 17 new tracks, enlisting a slew of familiar names, including his brother Jacob, Ashley Gorley, Steve Moakler, Josh Kerr, Josh and Matt Jenkins, and many more. 

The album kicks off with the rollicking “Her Way or the Highway,” a catchy musical ultimatum in which Davis rattles off a laundry list of a woman’s grievances, ultimately landing on the blunt “change or it’s goodbye.” From there, Davis wastes no time diving into one of the album’s standouts, “Bar None,” a toe-tapping, whiskey-drenched heartbreak anthem that he says “came alive in the studio.”

“Bar, none// Now I’m gettin’ goner than your long gone boots// Nothin’ I’m workin’ on works on you// I’ve been breakin’ every bottle open// Doin’ what a banged up broken heart doe//s I’m gonna need three or four more// Baby, if movin’ on had a scoreboard// It’d say, “You and your memory, one // Me and this bar, none // Me and this bar, me and this bar, none”

Heartbreak runs through much of the album. “Ain’t Enough Road” is a lush, single-worthy midtempo about realizing you cannot outrun memories. “Only All the Time” and “Turn This Truck Around” are equally steeped in post-breakup ache.

Emotions continue to run high on the stunning ballad, “Mess with Missing You,” a long-awaited duet with Carly Pearce. Years in the making, Davis revealed that the final version exceeded his expectations. It finds the pair trading tender verses over lines like “You’re like whiskey, I can’t even have one sip… it’s just too risky, if I start then I can’t quit, and all that moving on I did, goes out the door, I don’t mess with missing you no more.”

“Jesus Wouldn’t Do” is a standout for its lyrical introspection, as Davis grapples with grace and the imperfections of being human. Similarly, “Keeping the World Away” reflects on the need to unplug and cherish life’s simple joys, a sentiment born from Davis’s own struggles to balance a growing career with being a father of four.

Both “Good Gone Bad” and “Louisiana Stick” pay homage to Davis’s Louisiana roots, with the former a gritty, swamp-soaked romp that channels shades of Marc Broussard with smoldering vocals and searing guitar work. Likewise “Louisiana Stick” pairs him with guitar virtuoso Marcus King), and the result is arguably the album’s most distinctive cut, uniting two Bayou brothers as they swap verses and trade fiery guitar riffs in a soulful, groove-laden jam.  

“I wanted to show influences and not just talk about them,” reveals Davis when reflecting on the collaboration that he calls one of his favorite songs on the LP. “ Being from Louisiana, that kind of soulful, groovy stuff is just what I listen to.”

“Son of a Gun” is also a standout, inspired by a golf trip with his brother Jacob and centered around the simple idea of being a “son of a gun.” He’s introspective and poignant on the building ballad, a product of his raising. “Didn’t always have it made // but that’s what made me // Daddy was a hand-me-down hair-triggered silver tongue // my mama was a pistol // they made a son of a gun”

“In Case You Missed It” and “Know You Like That” both find him nostalgic and second-guessing an old flame, while the album’s title track offers a look at Davis at his most vulnerable.

“I’m ’bout to get a taste of my own damn medicine// Safe to say, I’m ’bout to get me a lesson in // Tables turning like tires on the Chert rock// And how them goodbye lights look fading off// Throwing red at the best there’s ever been// Hell, I guess there’s a first time for everything// I’ve never known the broke side of a heartbreak// But I’d say I’m ’bout to learn the hard way.”

Learn the Hard Way is truly Jordan Davis at his most confident and most honest, finding him even more self-assured in what he does best while also branching out into new sounds and styles. The LP perfectly marries radio-ready grooves with rootsy authenticity and clever storytelling, weaving together barroom singalongs, soul-drenched grooves, and personal reflections. Whether he’s turning up the Louisiana swagger, duetting with country’s finest, or quietly reflecting on family and faith, Davis proves he’s learned more than a few hard lessons, and he’s better for it.

Learn The Hard Way Tracklist:

1. Her Way or the Highway –  Jordan Davis, Paul DiGiovanni, Travis Wood, Mark Holman, Josh Jenkins   
2. Bar None –  Ben Johnson, Lydia Vaughan, Hunter Phelps
3. Mess with Missing You (with Carly Pearce) –  Jordan Davis, DiGiovanni, Hillary Lindsey, Wood   
4. In Case You Missed It –  Jacob Davis, Jordan Davis, DiGiovanni, Wood
5. Ain’t Enough Road –   Jordan Davis, Luke Dick, Ashley Gorley   
6. Son of a Gun –  Jacob Davis, Jordan Davis, Josh Kerr, Lauren Hungate   
7. Jesus Wouldn’t Do –  Jacob Davis, Jordan Davis, J. Jenkins, Matt Jenkins
8. Learn the Hard Way” –  DiGiovanni, Wood, John Pierce 
9. I Ain’t Sayin’ –  Wood, Steve Moakler, Holman, Emily Reid 
10. Good Gone Bad –  Jordan Davis, Matt Dragstrem, Chase McGill   
11. Memory Don’t Mess Around –  Jacob Davis, Jordan Davis, DiGiovanni, J. Jenkins, M. Jenkins   
12. Keeping the World Away –  Jacob Davis, Jordan Davis, DiGiovanni, J. Jenkins, M. Jenkins   
13. Know You Like That –  Ray Fulcher, Thomas Archer, Jordan Rowe, Michael Tyler 
14. Only All the Time –  Jacob Davis, Jordan Davis, Wood, Holman, Matt Roy   
15. Turn This Truck Around –  Jordan Davis, Devin Dawson, Jake Mitchell, Josh Thompson 
16. Louisiana Stick (with Marcus King)  –  Jordan Davis, DiGiovanni, McGill, Gorley 
17. Muddy the Water –  Jordan Davis, DiGiovanni, J. Jenkins, M. Jenkins

Country Swag Picks:

1. Louisiana Stick
2. Mess with Missing You
3. I Ain’t Sayin’
4. Good Gone Bad
5. Keeping the World Away
6. Know You Like That
7. Her Way or the Highway

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For tour dates and more, including an October 2 show at Radio City, visit the superstar’s official website here.