Ty Myers: ‘The Select’ – Debut Album Review

Ty Myers shares debut album, The Select, officially out now, January 24th on all streaming platforms. Learn more and listen to the new album below.

With a powerfully soulful rasp way beyond his 17 years, country newcomer Ty Myers is already one of the most buzzed about new artists in the genre. Today, the Austin, TX native released his debut album, The Select, which features 16 new songs. Twelve of the tracks were solo writes by the mega-talent, showcasing his skill as both an artist and a vocalist.

The Select’s title is a nod to Le Select, a Parisian restaurant oft-visited by Ernest Hemingway, one of Myers’ favorite writers. From that anecdote alone, it’s clear that Myers is wise beyond his years and one listen to his debut album just solidifies that. The singer-songwriter is clearly an old soul, stories about drinking, regret, and eternal love weaving its way through the LP. As talented as he is as a singer, he’s also a great storyteller, making much of the content believable despite his youth.

“It’s a culmination of everything since I started. That’s kind of how all first albums are, I guess, but I started writing when I was around six or seven and have been writing ever since,” Myers revealed to Holler Country. “I’ve had the opportunity to choose songs from way back then, songs I wrote a couple years ago and some songs I wrote the day before I recorded it.”

The album opens with “Ends of the Earth,” a bluesy and soulful song that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Chris Stapleton. With its gritty vocals and stirring guitar riffs, Myers proclaims his undying love to someone special.

For Myers, there are a few themes that permeate the album, ranging from enduring love to undeniable heartbreak, as well as drinking and blue-collared story songs. The unique power of his voice echoes over each track, weaving each song into a cohesive and impassioned LP.

Heartbreak weaves its way through tracks like “But Me,” “Love is Two Faced,” “Somewhere Over You,” and “Thought It Was Love.” On “Two Faced,” he grapples with the surprise that comes from the ending of a seemingly perfect relationship, while “Thought It Was Love” finds him telling a similar story. “Too Far Gone” is one of the best heartbreak songs on the album, chock full of smoky, darker, and downtuned guitars that’s a perfect kissoff track for a live show.  “I don’t know where I went wrong, woke up on a Saturday and found you gone…” He growls. “Keep on rollin’ til you’re too far gone.”

“Let ‘Em Talk” finds him bucking the opinions of others, encouraging a new lover to quell the voices of the naysayers, while “Real World Now” is a twangy and peppy ode to working hard for your family. “Worry is a Sickness” is an immediate standout, a building midtempo that finds him impassioned and lovesick.

“Firefly” is another standout, a stunning piano-laden ballad about someone who lights up the room “like a thousand little stars in the sky.” This is a surefire way to get fans swooning with its unique musical melody that recalls the Bruce Springsteen hit, “Secret Garden.”

“Can’t Hold Me Down” is a swampy, Marc Broussard-esque ode to being a ramblin’ man, while “Never Get Tired (Of Loving You)” is an uptempo celebration of love that never gets boring or stale.

Myers pays homage to his musical hero, John Mayer, on “Man on the Side,” which was co-written by Mayer and Zac Brown Band’s Clay Cook. It’s heavy on the guitar, in the best way possible.

“He’s my number one biggest hero ever,” Myers said of Mayer to Apple Music’s Country Risers Radio podcast with Ward Guenther. “I love the fact that he’s changed so drastically throughout his career. He did what he wanted to do, and that’s what I gravitate towards. He did what he wanted and made the world bend to what he wanted to do.”

Despite not even being old enough to legally drink, Myers has a unique ability to write a whiskey-drenched drinking or heartbreak song. “Drinkin’ Alone” is a lush ballad that finds him determined to not leave a bar alone, while, “Drunk Love” finds him lost under the neon lights and looking for love, while longing for something more than lusty alcohol-fueled nights.

“I’m tired of drunk love // You can only feel the lust when your body’s numb // Another one leads to keepin’ the lights on // Clothes off, decisions you regret // When the sun comes up // Cause it’s nothin’ to speak of // I’m tired of drunk love”

The album ends with  “Tie That Binds,” a sparse pickup tune that starts at a bar and leads to forever. “Cuz I’ve been lookin’ for a woman like you for quite some time// I’d be the happiest man in the world to call you mine,” Myers muses. “I think you found a tie that binds.”

Ty Myers’s The Select is out now via Nashville/Columbia records.

Country Swag Picks:

1. Worry is a Sickness
2. Man on the Side
3. Real World Now
4. Let ‘Em Talk
5. Too Far Gone

The Select Track List:

1. Ends of the Earth (Ty Myers)
2. Real World Now (Ty Myers)
3. Worry is a Sickness (Ty Myers)
4. Let ‘Em Talk (Ty Myers, Anderson East, Trent Dabbs)
5. Love Is Two Faced (Ty Myers)
6. Somewhere Over You (Allen Shamblin, Michael Reid)
7. Never Get Tired (of Loving You) (Ty Myers)
8. Firefly (Ty Myers)
9. Can’t Hold Me Down (Ty Myers)
10. Man On The Side (John Mayer, Clay Cook)
11. Thought It Was Love (Ty Myers)
12. Too Far Gone (Ty Myers, Jessi Alexander, Rhett Akins)
13. Drunk Love (Ty Myers)
14. But Me (Ty Myers)
15. Drinkin’ Alone (Ty Myers)
16. Tie That Binds (Ty Myers)

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The Select 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.