Logan Mize: Still That Kid – Album Review

Showing off his love for his small-town life, Still That Kid is relatable, nostalgic, and filled with the heart-warming lyrics and vocals that we love from Logan Mize.

Logan Mize’s new album, Still That Kid, is out today, January 27th. It is the nostalgic story of his life growing up in small-town USA. From the album title and throughout each track he digs down to his roots and proves that he’s Still That Kid from Clearwater, Kansas. He looks back on Friday night lights, nights at the local bar, young love, and shares how that past continues to affect his life. Mize’s previous album, Come Back Road (2017) debuted Top 20 on the Billboard Country Album Sales Chart and number 2 on the iTunes Country chart. It features his hit singles “Ain’t Always Pretty” and “Better Off Gone”.

To celebrate Still That Kid, Mize will perform two livestream shows on Thursday, February 4th, live from the McPherson Opera House in his home state. The first will be at 1:30 PM CT (2:30 PM ET) and the second at 7:30 PM CT (8:30 PM ET). Each will be 45-minute acoustic performances of songs off the new album as well as fan-favorites. Doing his part to support local businesses near his hometown, Mize will be donating a portion of the livestream ticket proceeds to the McPherson Opera House. The album release livestream offers various ticket packages, giving fans the option to add an after-party pass that will include an exclusive encore performance from Mize and his wife/fellow artist, Jill Martin. For tickets and more information click here.

Still That Kid, the 13-track album includes writers Rhett Akins, Nicolle Galyon, Ashley Gorley, and Chris Destefano. Mize had pre-released several songs off the record including two versions of “I Ain’t Gotta Grow Up”, his own, and a new version with Willie Jones. Previously released songs also include “Who Didn’t”, two versions of his popular song “Grew Apart”, one with Donovan Woods, and one with Alexandra Kay, “Hometown”, and Mize’s cover of “Something Just Like This”. Fans will get to hear brand new songs like “American Livin’”, “Gone Goes On and On”, “Practice Swing”, “Get em Together”, “Prettiest Girl in the World” and “Slow”.

Here are some of our top picks from the collection...

American Livin’ (Logan Mize, Blake Chaffin)

There’s no better song to open up this album. It’s the story of a one-red light town that you’re meant to move out of, but you find yourself missing once you’re gone. There’s a lot you miss, but it’s the little things like leaving the doors unlocked, knowing your neighbors, and meaning “see ya later”. It’s the kind of song that puts you right back in a high school Friday night.

“When life was a Mellencamp song / it was faded blue jeans, on the hood of a hand-me-down Chevy / With all your first best friends / and time says you can’t go back, oh but just like that / you know what it is you’ve been missing / Friday night small town, American Livin”

It may also be one of the few songs of its kind that ends on the happy note of returning to your hometown and getting back those days you’ve been missing. “One day there’s a for sale sign on the edge of town and your roots seem to find their way back in the ground…” A friendly reminder that perhaps those days aren’t only in the past.

Grew Apart feat. Donovan Woods (Donovan Woods, Travis Wood, Logan Wall) & Grew Apart feat. Alexandra Kay (Donovan Woods, Travis Wood, Logan Wall)

After releasing this song originally as a solo single, Mize later released two different versions of the song, one with its lead-writer Donovan Woods, and the other with Alexandra Kay. The two songs together give different perspectives of the same story, without changing a word of it.

The version with Woods gives a very similar perspective as the original release, in that it is from the guy’s perspective- it’s the same side of the break-up. They have their own opinions about why the relationship ended but they’re not ready to come to terms with them just yet, so they don’t give the whole truth when people ask, they just tell the parts they want to believe themselves.

“ It’s for the best, it’s over now / wasn’t anyone’s fault it didn’t workout / she’s a good girl, just wasn’t the one / we wanted different things, we had a good run / she’s better off, and so am I / It is what it is, but it’s all a lie / I don’t tell em’ how you broke my heart, I just tell em that we grew apart ”

However, in Alexandra Kay’s version, we get a sense of the other side too. There is one thing that the two can both agree on- and it’s that the other one is more to blame. They show that the two people in a relationship can be just as upset about a break-up as the other, but will never admit it or let the other one know.

“I could tell ‘em how you came in late / I can tell ‘em how you looked me in the eye and told that lie with a straight face / I don’t know why I don’t, maybe I hope it ain’t really over / but what’s that say about me / am I that weak”

Gone Goes On and On (Josh Kear, Robert Counts, Ed Hill, Mark Irwin)

This song is about where your feelings about a break-up or losing someone can take you after a few too many drinks. Through frustration, sadness, regret, and loss, it will take you to every level of what you’re feeling when you know that person is gone for good.

“Goodbye will hit you at the speed of a one last kiss / love will walk out while you’re still holding your breath / sometimes forever is over as fast as a song / but gone goes on and on and on and on / tail lights will fade out in the blink of a single tear / it only takes a couple seconds for a comeback prayer / losing everything don’t take long / but gone goes on and on and on”

Hometown (Tony Lane, Stephen Wilson, Marv Green)

This song is about Mize’s struggle between chasing his dream of being a singer/songwriter in Nashville and missing his life and family back home in Kansas. After being gone for so long, he had a life-altering experience that made him realize that he was wasting time he’ll never get back with his family. This struggle of wanting to chase your lifelong dreams and not wanting to miss out on the rest of your life, and wishing you could do both these things at once, is all too common and isn’t an easy choice to make no matter the circumstances. The track captures that idea perfectly and shows that choosing your family and home can be greater than even the biggest of dreams.

“ I wanna be home / in my own hometown / yeah back where my roots ran wild in my barefoot stomping ground / yeah I wanna wake up to some of that cookin’ / know my way around without lookin’ / home, in my own hometown”

Prettiest Girl in the World (Logan Mize, Blake Chaffin)

Mize originally wrote this song for his wife, but after his daughter was born, he says it took on a whole new meaning. For the last five years, it has been “Violet’s Song” and now he is finally sharing it with the rest of us. Acting almost as a sequel to “Ain’t Always Pretty”, this song is the feel-good love song we needed.

“It’s hard to believe that the prettiest girl in the world needs to hear / somebody loves her as much at her worst as I do at her best / my wildest dreams I’d never guessed I’d be the one holding the prettiest girl in the world”

 

Slow (Dallas Davidson, Chris DeStefano, Houston Phillips)

Given the many songs Mize has given us about home, and specifically about the small-town USA, it is only right that he would give us a song about taking life slow and soaking up all that it has to offer. It’s an uplifting reminder we all need every now and then when we are always worrying about tomorrow, what’s next, and staying busy.

 “ Fall in love, soak it in / do your best, be a friend / son you don’t need a reason to bring home a dozen roses / and have a drink, take a shot / save a little, spend a lot / enjoy the ride, every high every low when you drive down one of life’s road / take it slow ”

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Still That Kid 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.