Album Review | Hunter Hayes - (ENCORE)

"A record's never done...the debut album was like a chapter, 

and I just didn't feel like the chapter was over yet..."

-Hunter Hayes

"The first curveball we were thrown in this project was that we thought 

we were going into the studio to do Record Number Two...

and then we found out we're doing Record Number One And A Half..."

-Dann Huff, co-producer

So they made Record Number 1 1/2.

It's actually a re-release of Hunter's 2011 self-titled debut album. Hunter and Dann went back into the studio early this year and ended up re-recording a couple old songs, and recorded some other old songs for the first time that were "part of the debut record, that just didn't get through the audition process and get finished". The final product? A deluxe version of the original album, called (ENCORE). It's as if you're at a Hunter Hayes concert, and you hear all the familiar songs, and you think the concert's over, and then he comes back out on stage and plays a few more!

(ENCORE) released on June 18th. Sarah and I, admittedly big fans, downloaded it as soon as we could and happily listened to it as we were driving down the highway in California.

It's good, y'all. Really good. One of my first thoughts as I listened to it was how Hunter has matured so much vocally and musically. The new songs have such a rich, full sound - a combined result of Hunter's talent, perfectionism, and growth as an artist, and Dann's experience making hit records for artists such as Keith Urban and Rascal Flatts.

So here's my take on each song:

1. Storm Warning - "the first radio single", the song that introduced Hunter to the world when it was shipped to radio in May 2011. Ever since then, Nashville has wished they had a storm warning. (See what I did there?)
2. Wanted - the first #1 single, the one that went triple platinum. That's three million copies, y'all. Apparently Hunter did something right. Sweet song- especially if you know the girl he wrote it for.
3. If You Told Me To - one of my favorites from the beginning, both lyrically and musically. It has a quiet, acoustic feel to it, with a wonderful rhythm.
4. Love Makes Me - "So what if I'm crazy / cause love makes me do it!" Hunter kicks it into high gear with a slamming guitar intro, and the song just picks up steam from there. Listen closely and you can hear a little Michael Bublé influence in there.
5. Faith to Fall Back On - "God I don't have to see You / I know that You're there." I read somewhere once that Hunter was adamant that this song be on the record. One listen and you'll see why. It's beautiful.
6. Somebody's Heartbreak - the second #1 single. I've always loved the intro, and the guitar solo he does when he plays it live is simply amazing. (Especially when he did it at CMA Fest 2012 at LP Field.)
7. Rainy Season - the John-Mayer-influenced song (the intro is eerily like Mayer's song Gravity), with Hunter's bluesy roots shining through. One look at the lyrics and you know Hunter's an old soul. Most then-19-year-olds don't write like this.
8. Cry With You - a song that every single person can relate to at some point in their life. That family member, friend, significant other, spouse, or someone who is going through something so hard you don't know what to say. You can only shed tears along with them.
9. Everybody's Got Somebody But Me - (ENCORE) version - Hunter said he always thought this song had a Jason Mraz feel to it. So after he met Jason Mraz at the Grammy Awards in February, one thing led to another...and they turned "the most humorously depressing song I've ever written" into an even better...depressing song. Everyone who is single can relate to this. It's such a fun singalong live.
10. What You Gonna Do - (ENCORE) version - this is an old song of Hunter's. He recorded it on the last record he did before he signed with Atlantic - Songs About Nothing. It needed some new life to it...and Hunter's management found out Ashley Monroe would be going on tour with him. So Ashley (one of the Pistol Annies girls) lent her beautiful voice to it...and they turned it into a full-blown duet. It can't even compare to the original, it's that much better. And the original was good to begin with!
11. More Than I Should (ENCORE) version - "One angry song, comin' up next!" Hunter was obviously rather...mad...when he wrote this. The original version captured that quite well...and somehow they went back into the studio and made it sound even...angrier. He's quite a songwriter, and these lyrics are no exception.
12. All You Ever - Hunter wrote this song with one of his band members, Sam Ellis, the first time they ever wrote together. It's got one of the most achingly beautiful guitar solos I've ever heard.
13. In a Song - (ENCORE) - in my opinion, Hunter needs this song to go to radio. He's unfortunately been labeled "the country Justin Bieber" for far too long, and people often complain about him sounding "too much like pop" for the country genre. This song proves otherwise. It has a rootsy bluegrass sound (lots of mandolin and dobro) and the lyrics are perfect for country radio: "It'll take some time / but I know that I / I can find where I belong / and I'll find it in a song..."
14. I Want Crazy - (ENCORE) - the song that, lyrically, is the culmination of everything Hunter was trying to say in the first album. Musically, it's crazy - it's been described as an exercise in diction, the words go by so fast! It quickly became a favorite song of mine when it was released in April.
15. A Thing About You - (ENCORE) - and you thought Crazy was fast. A Thing About You leaves that one in the dust! The lyrics in the first verse are brilliantly hilarious - if you ever wondered how could you possibly relate the Mona Lisa and the Leaning Tower of Pisa to a girl, this is how.
16. Better Than This - (ENCORE) - in my opinion, this could easily become another #1 if it went to radio. Definitely one of my favorites, both lyrically and musically. Hunter co-wrote this a couple years ago with Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum, and he performed it only a handful of times on the fall tour in 2011. I'm so glad they decided to record it and put it on the album - such a great song.
17. Light Me Up - (ENCORE) - Hunter started playing this out on tour over a year ago, and the fan response was huge. It's perfect for summer: "You light me up / like the fireworks flyin' on the Fourth of July / You light me up / like the sunshine blazin' in the summertime". They actually recorded it about a year ago and released it as a download for a limited time. This recording is a little different, but still great, and they open every show with this song.

If you buy the entire album on iTunes, an added bonus is 3 videos! Two behind-the-scenes videos on the making of the album and the duet with Ashley Monroe, as well as the music video for I Want Crazy.

I'm sticking this in this post just because it's too good not to. Enjoy the latest #ForTheLoveOfMusic Monday!

For the love of music and the glory of God,
Rebekah