The very title "Country Again" suggests Thomas Rhett strayed from country music at some point. To an extent, that is true. Rhett scaled the upper reaches of Billboard's Country charts in the 2010s, but his appeal was based on how he wasn't a traditional country singer. He followed the path carved out by Sam Hunt, playing a slinky, digitally streamlined blend of pop, country, and R&B, a mixture that inherently pushed him to the pop side of the equation. Country Again -- a two-part album delivered as two "sides". Side A arrived in April 2021, and its flip is slated for release later in the year, and its intentions are to emphasize Rhett's deep country roots, pushing the modern production into the background without quite removing it. Maybe Country Again (Side A) doesn't glisten with a digital sheen so bright it shines, but it's filled with easy-rolling melodies, steel guitars that give way to programmed beats, and vocal harmonies that are brick-walled with the acoustic guitars and synthesizer; it's a contemporary country record by any measure. There's nothing wrong with leaning toward the pop side of the equation -- it's served Rhett well through the years -- but the problem with Country Again (Side A) is that it's filled with desperate down-home signifiers, canned cornpone nostalgia, and name-dropping designed to convey authenticity. Rhett sings a lot about Eric Church on Country Again (Side A) and the cumulative effect is to drive home how effortless the Chief makes his blend of rock, country, and soul seem. Here, Rhett is straining to hit similar marks, all while wearing a cheerful grin, and it's impossible to hear anything but how hard he's working to sound country. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine