NYCS First Impression: Florida Georgia Line ‘The Acoustic Sessions’

Florida Georgia Line released their highly anticipated The Acoustic Sessions album last Friday (October 18). Produced by Joey Moi, the 17-song compilation contains an acoustic recording of every single (excluding “Blessings”, which was only put to country radio on September 23^rd) the Grammy-nominated country duo has put out to date.

The first five songs are from their debut album Here’s to the Good Times, which hit number one on the US Country charts and peaked at number four on US all-genre. Their massive lead single, “Cruise” begins the record and although it still presents a party-vibe, the removal of the other instruments gives it more of a traditional feel. Other songs included on The Acoustic Sessions from Here’s to the Good Times are “Round Here”, “Stay”, “Get Your Shine On” and “This Is How We Roll” featuring Luke Bryan. The change from electric guitar to acoustic is very noticeable in “This Is How We Roll” as it slows down the first verse and the bridge.

Five songs were also included from their second album, Anything Goes including “Sippin’ on Fire”, “Sun Daze”, “Dirt”, “Anything Goes” and “Confession”. This album topped both the US Country and US all-genre charts and all five singles held a number one spot. The song that most differentiates from its original recording is “Anything Goes” as it is so reliant on its drums and electric guitar. In “Sippin’ on Fire”, Brian Kelley’s background vocals are more dominant as the other instruments in the original drowned him out. This creates a more somber mood. In “Confession” and “Dirt”, the banjo has a much more significant role, especially when transitioning into the verses.

Acoustic versions of “Smooth”, “H.O.L.Y.”, “May We All” featuring Tim McGraw and “God, Your Mama, and Me” featuring the Backstreet Boys were recorded from Florida Georgia Line’s most vulnerable third studio album, Dig Your Roots. This record peaked at number one on the US Country and New Zealand Heatseekers charts and number two on the Canadian and US all-genre charts. “H.O.L.Y.”, already one of their slowest songs, gets even more striped down in this acoustic recording. “God, Your Mama, and Me” might have gone through the biggest change on the entire album. In this new recording, the acoustic guitar is the main source of sound and in the original, one can barely notice it.

“Simple” and “Talk You Out of It” were re-recorded from their most recent album, Can’t Say I Ain’t Country. “Simple”, which is already a majority acoustic, did not sound much different from the original. However, “Talk You Out of It” went through a dramatic change as it uses synthetic sounds you hear in pop songs that were taken out of the new version. The stronger prevalence of the guitar makes it sound more traditional.  The same thing applies to the final track on The Acoustic Sessions album, the cross-over smash hit “Meant to Be” featuring Bebe Rexha. By removing the snapping noise and slowing the song down (especially in the first verse and chorus sung by Tyler Hubbard) this eight-time platinum collaboration becomes more of a sad love song.

Florida Georgia Line will headline the Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on November 6^th, 8^th, 9^th, and 12^th. It was recently announced that they will be joining Old Dominion and Michael Franti & Spearhead as special guests on Kenny Chesney’s Chillaxafication Tour starting next April. The tour will stop in East Rutherford at MetLife Stadium on August 22^nd. For tickets, head to their website.

The Acoustic Sessions is available on all digital platforms as the physical CD can be found only at Walmart. Find these tracks and more 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.

To keep up with Florida Georgia Line, follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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