LUKE COMBS

                                                                "Joe"

                                                                Columbia Nashville

Luke Combs has been teasing his new album Growin’ Up (due out March 24, 2023) for the past few weeks, earning high grades on song releases, “Growin’ Up and Getting’ Old” and “Love You Anyway.”

But with his latest teaser, “Joe,” he not only satisfies his exuberant fan base with a favorite that’s been hanging around for the past year and debuted on the hallowed stage of the Grand Ole Opry, but he’s quite possibly just delivered the song that will clearly define this new chapter of his career.

Co-written by Luke with Erik Dylan and James Slater, the song stays in the similar softer pace we’ve been hearing from him lately with a simplicity in the instrumentation surrounding the waltz infused melody. However, this pacing allows room for Combs to then wrap his blue-collar aura into the redemption story of Joe;  a man who’s faced his battle with alcoholism to now find the light at the end of the bottle.

Pulling from true country ideals of telling a story with your lyrics, we’re introduced to Joe in the opening verse as Combs defines his character as the type who appreciates their job at Texaco, never shows up late or drunk, and admits that his wrong turns in the past have shaped how he’s walking the line today.

Appreciative of everything that he has in the present day, and grateful for how far he’s come since his rebel rousing era, we’re brought through the chorus with a looking forward mindset that highlights how much having the right attitude and strong faith matters in the process of overcoming:

“I got a couple good buddies that all stop in

Say it’s good to see ya brother, man how you been?

I can’t complain, I’m doing alright

Sleeping pretty good, staying dry

Thank the lord every morning with a sweet Amen

To how far I’ve come from where I’ve been

So here’s to good days, and better tomorrows

And a light at the end the bottle”

Combs elevates the lyric to an even stronger position when he swerves slightly away from Joe’s story to connect it straight to the heart of the listener who’s struggling through situations right now, reminding that while some fall from grace and lose their ways, others find peace in salvation.

Of the three songs from the upcoming album that we’ve gotten so far, “Joe” is without a doubt the strongest. It tackles the very heavy subject of mental health, the vices you find when struggling, and ultimately overcoming them into a new perspective. Silent struggles happen every day behind closed doors, but because of his status as one of country music’s elite, Luke Combs reaches through the speakers to those who are ashamed and lost with a friendly embrace that lets them know they aren’t alone in their fight.

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)

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