‘Tangled Up’ sends Rhett into spotlight

Anna Silver, Assistant A&E Editor

Newcomer Thomas Rhett’s latest album, “Tangled Up” which was released September 2015, will undoubtedly have you up and dancing to his melodious vocals and cheeky lyrics.

The album has a theme of young love, strife, and struggles, perhaps as a nod to Rhett’s own high school experience where he met his current wife. Intermixed with upbeat songs demanding to be played at the highest volume level, are slow, feel-good songs that balance the intense, louder tunes.

Rhett’s chart-topper “Die a Happy Man” has been featured on both country and pop stations and has been covered by many singers including Nelly; Rhett also recently performed this song with pop singer Nick Jonas. Rhett wrote “Die a Happy Man” specifically as an ode to his wife. This swoon-worthy song will please romantics, with its lyrics depicting Rhett’s more sensitive side: “If I never get to see the Northern Lights / or if I never get to see the Eiffel Tower at night / Oh, if all I got is your hand in my hand / Baby, I could die a happy man.”

“T-Shirt,” another hit on the album, is well complemented by the song’s music video which includes laudable dance moves by Rhett (that far exceed Drake’s dancing abilities in the  “Hotline Bling” video). The song reveals a narrative of a young pair’s gravitation toward each other with saucy lyrics like, “You’ve been saying that we’ve gotta quit doing this / So why you leaning in for one more kiss.”

    My personal favorite, Rhett’s upbeat “Learned it from the Radio” boasts small-town pride with lyrics such as “How to be proud of that town ain’t nobody heard of / How to make dreams, seventeen, someday how to grow up,” while one of the album’s slower melodies, “The Day you Stop Looking Back,” is still catchy but softens the album’s louder, party songs.

     One song on the album, “Tangled,” which inspired the album’s title, is the only song I dislike. It has major pop-genre vibes but unfortunately lacks the catchy tune and creative lyrics of his other songs.

Overall, the songs on the album effortlessly tease at Rhett’s pop music ties, while at the same time stay true to his country music roots. Thomas Rhett’s “Tangled Up” is the perfect album to kickstart your summer.