Logan Mize: ‘Welcome To Prairieville’ – Album Review

Logan Mize’s brand new album, Welcome to Prarieville is out now, October 1st on all streaming platforms. Check out our full review and listen to the brand new music below.

“There’s still a little bit of America left in America”, Logan Mize sings on the opening line of the first track, “George Strait Songs” off his brand new album, Welcome To Prairieville. No verse explains the project more: for the past decade, Mize has been chronicling the simple, middle-town America life through his songwriting, and it has all come to fruition on the 11-song project. The sonics are classic, almost 90s sounding, while still remaining modern enough. It would sound perfect on radio airwaves, as it was made to be listened to driving down backroads.

“There’s still these hardworking, great, open-minded people that want to be independent; these little towns that don’t need a Walmart, and that’s what ‘George Strait Songs’ is about”, Mize shared with us in a recent interview.

Next up, the title track “Welcome to Prairieville” was written in 2011, over ten years ago, and it ties the entire project together. “That sign ain’t right on the edge of town // And the population keeps on going down”, he sings on the first verse. “It’s a pretty drive if you’ve got the time to kill // Welcome to Prairieville”.

“I Need Mike” is the only song that Mize did not write on the project. It’s a really evocative story-song, and although it’s specific, everyone has a “Mike” they can relate this song to. Blake Chaffin penned the track and serves as Mize’s main co-writer on the album. Each of the two songwriters chose a solo-write to include on the project and “I Need Mike” was Chaffin’s. “When I put it up against the rest of the songs, I really felt like ‘I Need Mike’ was [one of] the best songs on the project”, Mize tells us. “It makes you feel something. I don’t think I could have left it off. It felt like me… it’s just as much my record as it is his.”

The album ends with closing track It’s About Time”. A tune that is probably the most stunning song sonically, and it’s a hopeful way to drive out of Prairieville. It’s visual and dreamy, and it leaves you feeling like things are going to work out both in Prairieville and outside of the town.

“But I made it home // Found a reason // And the words to rhyme // Oh, I finally feel just like myself // And it’s about time”

If you don’t know Mize’s music yet, even though he’s put out a number of albums before, in some ways this acts as a re-introduction to who he is and his songwriting style. It is full of passion and small-town soundbites that will leave anyone reminiscing for their hometown. There’s nothing that sounds like this record right now, but at the same time, it is simple and timeless. It has all the influences of Mize’s life in central Kansas, and the refined polish of the Nashville sound. Overall, it is purely a wonderful, cohesive 11-track collection.

Welcome To Prairieville Tracklist

1. George Strait Songs (writers: Blake Chaffin, Logan Mize)
2. Welcome To Prairieville (writers: Blake Chaffin, Logan Mize)
3. River Road (writers: Blake Chaffin, Logan Mize, Tyler Johnson)
4. Wine at the Church, Beer at the Bar (writers: Blake Chaffin, Logan Mize, Jason Blaine)
5. Follow Your Heart (writers: Lynn Hutton, Logan Mize)
6. I Need Mike (writer: Blake Chaffin)
7. If You Get Lucky (writers: Blake Chaffin, Logan Mize, Daniel Agee)
8. Tell the Truth (writers: Blake Chaffin, Logan Mize)
9. We Ain’t Broke (writers: Blake Chaffin, Logan Mize)
10. I Still Miss You (writers: Blake Chaffin, Logan Mize, Jill Martin)
11. It’s About Time (writer: Logan Mize)

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news and announcements about future Logan Mize releases.

To keep up with Logan Mize, follow him on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.