Thomas Rhett ‘About A Woman’ – Album Review

Thomas Rhett’s new album, About A Woman is out now, August 23rd on all streaming platforms. Take a listen and read our full review below.

For Thomas Rhett, it would be easy to rest on his laurels. With 17 #1 hits and six studio albums, he could easily wash, rinse, and repeat his music, and still find success. However, on his seventh full length album, About a Woman, out now, he does the opposite.

Rather than rely on a proven formula for success, Rhett branches out sonically on his new LP, offering something for old and new fans alike. Released via The Valory Music Co, his new album offers fourteen new tracks, thirteen of which he co-wrote.

“From top to bottom, I wanted to exude joy and fun with this project—and really just make people move,” Rhett revealed in a statement. “I went into making this record with a fearless attitude, put my blinders on and my head down to try and make really fun music.”

Produced by Julian Bunetta and Dann Huff, the album centers around love, but does so in different ways. It’s largely uptempo, sampling retro 80’s synths, hip hop beats, country melodies, and a whole lot more. “I feel like if you were to ask me what this record is about, the answer would be it’s about one woman, my wife,” He continues. “And I think we got the opportunity to say ‘I love you’ in a lot of different ways.”

What’s most interesting on About a Woman is its evolution. While the first half is ripe with the mid-tempo pop country anthems that have made Rhett a superstar, the second half finds him truly experimenting with new sounds and genres. On the latter half of the LP, he slides effortlessly from the harmonies of the Beach Boys-meets-Laurel Canyon on “Country for California” to the soulful grit of “Somethin’ Bout a Woman” to the soulful, almost doowop vibe of “Can’t Love You Anymore.” Meanwhile, “Boots” may be the album’s most unique song, a swinging country and western romp that sounds straight out of a Texan dancehall.

“Don’t Wanna Dance” offers a truly special moment, a heartbreak anthem that still supports a huge, stadium-ready chorus. It puts a new spin on the Whitney Houston classic, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” flipping it from a buoyant and hopeful anthem to a pure heartwrencher.  “Once that chorus popped in, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh,’” Rhett shares of the song. “I envision myself on a grand piano in the middle of an arena, with people just screaming these words back to me.” 

One of the album’s standouts is “Church” which pays homage to both a relationship with someone special and a relationship with a specific musical artist, Eric Church. Lyrically, the song is incredibly clever, using a play on words, as Rhett mixes Church song titles with a tale of falling in love with both his wife and the Chief’s music, as she was the first to take him to “Church.” “She stole my heart, and I still got the shirt,” He sings of their first concert experience. “She took me to church.”

Like previous albums, Rhett’s new LP is also full of catchy bops, including the previously released “Gone Country,” which celebrates the allure of country life and the R&B tinted mid-tempo, “Overdrive.” Similarly, the album’s opener, “Fool,” is complete with whistling and toe-tapping pop beats, finding him enamored to an almost silly point. “Julian and I went back and forth on ‘How do you open a record that has this many kinds of sounds on it?’” Rhett explains. “I figured, ‘Why not put one of the most sonically progressive sounds first?’”

“What Could Go Right” finds him looking on the bright side of tuning from friends to lovers, embracing all the possible positives. “Girl, don’t think about what could go wrong,” He implores. “Just think about what could go right.”

Meanwhile, both “After All The Bars Are Closed” and “Back to Blue” capture the possibilities of what may happen after last call. On “After,” they spend time together until the sun comes up, while “Back to Blue” is a lush and layered ode to watching the sun come up.

The album’s first single is “an anthem for everybody who feels like they out-kicked their coverage,” revealed Rhett. “There was one day a couple years back when I was looking at my wife, and I was like, ‘Why in the world did you choose me?’ I get to be with someone who could easily be on the cover of a magazine, and I get to see her in all her forms—a partner, a mother, a friend, even a philanthropist. I just feel like I’ve got a first row seat at almost-perfection, if you will. And like the song says, ‘Seriously, what is somebody as amazing as you doing with somebody like me?’”

About a Woman ends with its only true ballad, “I Could Spend Forever Loving You.” Here, Rhett closes the album on a poignant and romantic high note. “I just hope people know I’m just never really done evolving,” he says. “I think there’s two paths you can take in this career. When something works, you can ride that until the day you die – but that’s not really how I’ve ever been.” 

About A Woman Track List: