Dustin Lynch - The Hurricane Cometh

Well hello there

When the video for “Cowboys and Angels” first came on the radio, The Inky Jukebox’s ears pricked up; here was a very nice tune sung well. The general theme was a bit clichéd, but oh well. Then, when the video appeared, The Inky Jukebox sighed: here was just another pretty boy giving it the good old Nashville go. Seemingly too good-looking to be genuine, Dustin Lynch might be the only singer in history actually hampered by handsomeness.

This became apparent when The Inky Jukebox relented and got Lynch’s self-titled debut album — late to the game, as it was released in 2012, but six months later, it still hasn’t left the car, having been on pretty constant rotation ever since. Damn, but it’s a good record.

While “Cowboys and Angels” is clearly a made for radio record, Lynch has been underserved by Broken Bow, who put out the lead track “She Cranks My Tractor” as a follow-up. It’s a raucous double-entendre up-tempo romp, nothing like “Cowboys” but obviously an attempt to showcase another side of this versatile singer-songwriter. Then they went with “Wild In Your Smile,” which is just too retro for today’s charts.

Instead, they should have gone with two other tracks which really stand out. “Hurricane” is an anthem they clearly ignored because it’s another ballad — stupid move. It’s great. It’s even better live, where the band gives it a real long, thundery intro before the hook spills over.

Then they should have released “Last Lap,” a lazy hip-hop number that is so laid-back it grooves in your ears long afterwards. (Listen to album track here.)

The Inky Jukebox is a fan. We’ll even forgive him his cuteness.