Parker McCollum: Self-Titled Album Review

Parker McCollum shares his brand new self-titled album, Parker McCollum, officially out now, June 27th on all streaming platforms. Learn more and listen to the new album below.

For Parker McCollum, the release of his self-titled studio album marks a seismic shift in his career. McCollum traded Music City for New York City, enlisting legendary producers Frank Liddell and Eric Masse to push him beyond his wildest expectations. “It is the best thing I’ve ever done,” McCollum shares. “This record is honest, this record is raw, this record is one thousand percent authentic, Parker, and it feels really good to get back to writing and recording songs like I always wanted to.”

Recorded at the historic Power Station studio, home of Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA, Parker McCollum draws influences from ‘the Boss,’ among others. Featuring fourteen new tracks, the Texas native co-wrote all but a cover of “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues,” alongside a slew of Texas and Nashville’s biggest names. The liner notes here include the likes of Lori McKenna, Mar Kearney, Randy Rogers, Hillary Lindsey, Natalie Hemby, Wade Bowen, and more, each adding a distinct touch to the collection.

On the follow up to 2022’s Never Enough, which marks his fifth LP and third with MCA, the Austin native truly embraces authentic storytelling, raw emotion, and rootsy musicianship. It’s much more Isbell and Childers than Aldean and Wallen, leaning into lyrical stories and lush instrumentation, as opposed to chasing radio play.

Female background vocalists punctuate a lot of the songs, adding an unusual and much-welcomed ethereal quality, while acoustic guitars and Springsteen-meets-Mayer melodies permeate the LP. From the opening notes of “My Blue,” the album feels different. It feels raw and stripped and live, less polished in the best ways possible. 

While “Big Sky” hints at classic McCollum, it’s more Texas than Nashville, with its radio ready chorus about being a man unable to stay in one place for too long.

“I fly and I nevеr land It’s a big sky // I’m a lonely man If you’re lookin’ for me // Just know that I’m free // And thеre ain’t no tellin’ where I might be”

“What Kinda Man” is thematically similar, a harmonica-laced two-stepper that finds him wondering what kind of woman could settle with a man like him, while “Hope That I’m Enough” finds him grappling with his own insecurities in a relationship. Inspired by his wife, he says the song holds a special place in his heart. “It’s how I’ve always genuinely looked at her and [my] relationship,” He shares to Billboard. “She’s just as good as God can make a woman. I don’t know if I’m worthy of anything I’ve gotten to do in my career or the woman I’ve gotten to marry or any of this stuff. It’s just a very authentic feeling. I was sitting next to her, playing guitar, and this song started to just fall out. She’s an easy person to write songs about.”

Songs like “Solid Country Gold” and “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues” pay homage to the heyday of country music. On “Gold,” the music is breezy and lush, name dropping the likes of John Prine and Guy Clark, while McCollum muses,  “I try to hang with the kids these days, but the kids swear I ain’t hip.”

Likewise, a song like the 1960’s hit “Good Time Charlie” should feel out of place in 2025, but fits in perfectly on the LP. Originally recorded by Danny O’Keefe, McCollum turns the classic into a duet with fellow Texan, Cody Johnson. “I’ve always wanted to cut it. I’ve listened to it for 15 years, and I’ve always thought of Cody when I heard that song,” McCollum says. “I just always thought he was so, so crazy talented and such a good singer, and just so passionate about his business and how it goes about his life, and I just admire that so much. He comes in and just kills it.”

“Permanent Headphones” is a standout for the fact that it was originally penned when McCollum was just fifteen, while “Sunny Days” is a breezy look back at those simpler times of his youth.

Songs like “Come On,” “Watch Me Bleed” and “Enough Rope” show various sides of the singer-songwriter, with “Come On” leaning into gritty bluesy country while “Watch Me Bleed” feels inspired by the alt-rock of the late 90’s and early 2000’s. “Killin’ Me” is a twangy, dancehall romp celebrating undeniable attraction, while “New York is On Fire” is a John-Mayer-esque slow burner, chock full of reverb and soulful vocals.

The LP ends on a contradictory note with “My Worst Enemy,” upbeat musical optimism grappling with lyrical self doubt. It’s a unique and fitting album closer for an LP that’s unlike anything McCollum has done before.  “It really eats at me to put out music that hits you where music hits me,” he says of the project. “I really enjoy that chase and that journey of, ‘Am I going to write songs that are good enough?’ … I’m trying to find those answers.”

Country Swag Picks:

1. Big Sky
2. What Kinda Man
3. Hope That I’m Enough
4. My Worst Enemy

Parker McCollum Track List:

1. My Blue (Parker McCollum, Scooter Carusoe)
2. Big Sky (Parker McCollum, Charlie Magnone, Jarrod Morris)
3. Solid Country Gold (Parker McCollum, Jon Randall, Brad Warren, Brett Warren)
4. Watch Me Bleed (Parker McCollum, Lori McKenna, Mat Kearney)
5. Killin’ Me (Parker McCollum, Monty Criswell, Randy Rogers)
6. Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues Featuring Cody Johnson (Danny O’Keefe)
7. Sunny Days (Parker McCollum, Tony Lane, Lee Miller, Randy Montana)
8. Permanent Headphones (Parker McCollum)
9. New York Is On Fire (Parker McCollum, Nick Bockrath, Adam Wright)
10. Come On (Parker McCollum, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose)
11. What Kinda Man (Parker McCollum, Natalie Hemby, Jeremy Spillman)
12. Hope That I’m Enough (Parker McCollum, Jessi Alexander, Matt Jenkins)
13. Enough Rope (Chris Knight, Austin Cunningham)
14. My Worst Enemy (Parker McCollum, Wade Bowen)

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For tour dates and more, visit Young’s official website here.

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Parker McCollum is 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.