OLIVIA HAHNER
staff writer

For some of us, country music is not our cup of tea.
We prefer not to listen to the repetition of songs about booze, girls and trucks.
Yes, not all country songs are like this, but a majority are.
However, Thomas Rhett seems to be the one artist who has not yet fallen under this stereotype.
The 27-year old singer-songwriter was born in Valdosta, Ga., to mom Paige and country icon Rhett Akins.
Having been raised in the business, it was no surprise that Rhett had grown to love music.
At a young age, he learned to play the drums and soon joined his father on stage.
Before leaving for Lipscomb University in Nashville, Rhett promised his mother he wouldn’t drop out to follow in his father’s footsteps.
To no surprise, he eventually dropped out of college to pursue a musical career.
It was in 2010 that Rhett joined the music business.
At the beginning of his career, Rhett started as a songwriter. He has helped co-write hits for fellow country artists such as Jason Aldean, Lee Brice and Florida Georgia Line.
After Aldean’s hit, “I Ain’t Ready to Quit,” was released, Rhett decided to focus more on his own career.
Rhett has a style that he would personally describe as a “mix of the southern swagger of country music with pop hooks, R&B grooves, soulful strut and the anything-goes attitude of rock.”
He was soon signed to Big Machine Record. Big Machine is commonly known for producing popular artists like Taylor Swift and Tim McGraw.
Recently, Rhett dropped his third studio album “Life Changes.”
The album follows his earlier works “It Goes Like This” and “Tangled Up.”
Racking up multiple Country Music Television (CMT) nominations in the past, it would be no surprise if Rhett snatched up a few more with this album.
In early April, the first single, “Craving You,” was released.
Since the release, over 330,000 copies in the United States have been sold.
The song soon reached No. 1 on the Country Airplay charts, coming in as Rhett’s eighth single to reach number one.
On Aug. 14, “Craving You” was certified Gold.
Currently, the single and Rhett himself are nominated for three Country Music Association (CMA) awards.
At the end of July, Rhett released his second single off the upcoming album.
The single, “Unforgettable,” did not receive as much press as the last, but that didn’t matter to the artist.
I would honestly give this album a solid 4 out of 5 stars.
I have never been a huge fan of country, but Rhett has honestly changed my whole perspective.
I expected to give this album a negative review, but this is far from that.
With songs like “Sweetheart” and “Marry Me,” I was completely awestruck.
It is not hard to tell that Rhett puts his heart and soul into every lyric he writes.
In a majority of his songs, Rhett likes to mention his wife of almost five years.
It is obvious she is the inspiration for his music, but then again, it could be the fact that she is more popular than him.
In the song “Life Changes” he sings, “Now she got her own set of fans. She got a blue check mark by her Instagram,” about his wife.
Rhett also recorded a song with his father, Rhett Akins.
The song “Drink A Little Beer” is the stereotypical song about booze, but you are distracted from that once you hear the two men’s voices together.
The only reason I take away one star is due to the fact that I was not impressed by every song.
“Leave Right Now” and “Unforgettable” were good but could have been better.
I did not feel as attached to them as I did others.
As for the rest of the album, it consists of catchy, upbeat country songs that are definitely worth a listen.
Congrats country universe; you have received a new fan.

OLIVIA HAHNER
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