Breland - Cross Country: The Extra Mile (Deluxe) (2023) [Hi-Res]

Cross Country is a clever titular pun for Breland: on this 2022 debut album, he covers a lot of ground, crossing musical streams in the process. Nominally country, Breland belongs to the streaming generation who doesn't recognize strict borders between genres. His album opens with "Here for It," a stirring pop duet with kindred spirit Ingrid Andress, then it slides into "County Line," a rapped salute to his hometown delivered to a lengthy loop of Sylvia's yacht-country classic "Nobody." As the record progresses, Breland further blurs eras and sounds, adopting Shania Twain's boot-scootin' swagger for "Natural" then making a feint toward gospel on "Praise the Lord," a celebration of all manners of secular pleasures, hailing cold beer conversations and crispy chicken. The choices of duet partners -- in addition to Andress, Thomas Rhett, Lady A, Keith Urban, and Mickey Guyton are all here -- signal that Breland is firmly in the pop camp; he plays to all audiences under that umbrella, making music that could sound equally great in sports bars and waiting rooms. From a certain angle, this eagerness to please could almost read as pandering but the nifty thing about Breland is his light touch: he's a sweet, earnest presence that helps make Cross Country state-of-the-art pop circa 2022.

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine