Buy Dirt (Acoustic)

Chronique

Buy Dirt is nominally an eight-song EP, but considering that the opening "Blow Up Your TV" doesn't break the minute mark and plays like a preamble for the title track instead of its own thing -- and recycles the 2020 hit "Almost Maybes" from Davis' eponymous 2020 EP -- this feels even shorter than most mini-LPs. Brevity isn't necessarily a problem when it comes to Jordan Davis, however, he's an amiable country singer who enthusiastically seeks out the middle of the road. He may be recording mellow mood music, usually easing into soulful good vibes but taking time to flirt with good old country traditions, as on the title track where he duets with Luke Bryan. If Davis is a bit overshadowed by Bryan's charisma, it's also true that Davis' voice is more malleable, sounding at home when he's brooding over heartbreak or summoning a smile for the open road. All this is evident on Buy Dirt's 19 minutes of new material, a length which winds up being just long enough to showcase Davis' surprisingly supple country-pop skills without a dose of repetition.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo