Riley Green: ‘Ain’t My Last Rodeo’ Album Review
Riley Green’s brand new album, Ain’t My Last Rodeo is out now, October 13th, on all streaming platforms. Listen to the new music below.
Best known for his no-nonsense brand of straightforward country, Riley Green is back with his sophomore album, Ain’t My Last Rodeo, out now. For the Alabama native, the album marks his first full-length since 2019’s Different ‘Round Here and the follow up to 2021’s Behind the Bar EP.
Green co-wrote all but one song on the LP, an album-opening cover of Tim McGraw’s 2015 ballad, “Damn Country Music,” which chronicles the sacrifices made in pursuit of a dream. While maybe not written by Green, the track fits in perfectly here, as he finds himself battling with his dreams and demons, while remaining true to himself.
“I was fortunate enough to grow up within about three miles of my grandparents, so they were a huge part of my growing up and who I am—and this album is a lot of who I am,” shares the BMLG Records artist. “This is really the first time I was able to really take my time, write and record songs that really felt like a cohesive album—I’m really proud of it and want to thank the fans for all of their encouragement—I hope y’all enjoy it.”
Throughout Ain’t My Last Rodeo, Green stays true to who he is as an artist, producing solid, straight-shooting country songs. “My Last Rodeo” is an immediate standout, telling listeners everything they need to know about Green. The singer-songwriter penned the poignant and heartfelt track solo following one of his last conversations with his late grandfather.
“This ain’t my last rodeo // No it’s just time for this old man to get this show on the road // When life throws you off your saddle // Don’t mean you lost the battle // Just climb back up and turn another rope // The good Lord might want to call this cowboy home // But this ain’t my last rodeo”
Green’s country boy sensibilities are a common theme of the album, weaving through tracks like “They Don’t Make ‘Em Like That No More,” “Ain’t Like I Can Hide It,” and “Raised Up Right.”
On “They Don’t Make ‘Em,” he laments how things were better in the olden days, proclaiming, “And this worn out pair of boots that my daddy wore, Well, they don’t make ’em like that no more.” Meanwhile, “Raised Up Right” is a catchy midtempo that extolls the values with which he was brought up. “Raised up right like my Momma’s hands in Sunday mornin’ church // Raised up right like my Daddy’s can of beer right after work // Like the flag over the court house every mornin’ at sunrise // I was raised up right.”
The collaborations on the LP follow similar suit, with Luke Combs lending his voice to a reimagined take on “Different ‘Round Here” and Jelly Roll appearing on “Copenhagen in a Cadillac.” While the latter is a clever ode to a “down home boy with some uptown stuff,” the former offers another poignant moment. The track, which originally appeared as a solo on his 2019 album, was re-recorded with Combs after the two toured together.
“Ever since we originally released the song a few years ago, we have seen so many military families, athletes, and hard-working everyday people use the song in their own videos,” Green explained in a recent press release. “It has also been one of those songs that proud hometown fans sing along to the loudest, night after night,” he continued. “While up in Canada with Luke at the end of last year, we saw the same thing and it felt right re-releasing it together.”
Lyrically, songs like “Damn Good Day to Leave,” “Workin’ On Me,” and “Mississippi or Me?” are standouts, Green showing that he’s adept with a clever turn of phrase. On the slide-guitar laden, “Damn Good Day to Leave,” his tongue is firmly planted in his cheek as he mourns the loss of a relationship, musing, “”I hate to see you go, but if you ask me, you picked a damn good day to leave.”
The album ends with “Ain’t My Damn to Give,” which includes an unexpectedly welcomed and bluesy harmonica as Green laments over a lost love. On the sparse ballad, he wrestles with a broken heart, admitting that he’d bring her right back if he could. “And I’d drive them comeback miles, Back to me if I could, If I could find the will and want to for you, Girl you know I would,” He sings, voice full of emotion. “If I could change your made-up mind, If I could put words on your lips, I’d say I’d still do for you girl just like I did, But that ain’t my damn to give.”
On Ain’t My Last Rodeo, Riley Green blends his roots with clever lyrics, showing off his solid vocals, unique songwriting, and straightforward country melodies that are sure to solidify his place as one of the genre’s rising stars.
Ain’t My Last Rodeo Tracklist:
- Damn Country Music (Jessi Alexander, Cary Barlowe, Josh Thompson)
- They Don’t Make ‘Em Like That No More (Riley Green, Chris Lindsey, Aimee Mayo)
- Mississippi Or Me (Riley Green, Tyler Reeve, Josh Thompson)
- Different ‘Round Here (featuring Luke Combs) (Riley Green, Randy Montana, Jonathan Singleton)
- Ain’t Like I Can Hide It (Riley Green, Chris Dubois, Bobby Pinson)
- Copenhagen In A Cadillac (featuring Jelly Roll) (Riley Green, Erik Dylan, Wyatt McCubbin)
- Damn Good Day To Leave (Riley Green, Erik Dylan, Jonathan Singleton, Nick Walsh)
- My Last Rodeo (Riley Green)
- Workin’ On Me (Riley Green, Rhett Akins, Randy Montana)
- Raised Up Right (Riley Green, Jeremy Bussey, Chris Dubois, Lynn Hutton)
- God Made a Good Ol’ Boy (Riley Green, Erik Dylan, Wyatt McCubbin, Jonathan Singleton)
- Ain’t My Damn To Give (Riley Green, Tucker Beathard, Ben Simonetti, Jonathan Singleton)
Country Swag Picks:
- Different ‘Round Here
- Raised Up Right
- My Last Rodeo
- Damn Good Day to Leave
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Green will hit the road next year on his Ain’t My Last Rodeo tour. Tour dates and more can be found here.
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Ain’t My Last Rodeo is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.
