Album Review: Scotty McCreery - “Seasons Change”

On his third studio album (and first for Triple Tigers Records), Scotty McCreery simply delivers.

It’s been a long five years since releasing See You Tonight in 2013. The singer’s second album contained Scotty’s first two Top 10 hits ("Feelin' It" and "See You Tonight") but something seemingly went wrong with the label when they tried to have him sing "radio" songs which really didn’t suit him well. While the last Mercury single “Southern Belle” was OK, it really wasn’t Scotty. Cut to five years later at age 24, Scotty, as all young people do from age 19 to 25, has matured considerably and grown into adulthood. After school and falling in love with his high school sweetheart, Scotty has made it out of the weeds to release Seasons Change, but not before he bet on himself and the inspirational “Five More Minutes” and self-released and nearly secured a Top 40 hit before signing with Triple Tigers. The song ended up hitting #1 just before Seasons Change hit stores in mid March 2018.

Always blessed with the kind of voice that most country music artists would kill for, Scotty McCreery has grown up before America’s eyes and while fundamentally the same guy he was seven years ago when he appeared on American Idol, Scotty’s maturity comes through throughout the entirety of the eleven tracks found on Seasons Change. Credited as a co-writer on each track, this record could’ve conceivably been called “This Is Scotty McCreery” or just “Scotty McCreery.” Instead, the opening track gets the title and it’s a good foundation from which to build from. The song works as both a concert opener and and an album opener.

“Boys From Back Home” is a song about your closest friends and how they remain the same and that emean that — no matter how famous or rich they get — you’re always the same around your oldest, best friends, no matter how little you get to see them (or if it’s only in the memory through songs). They keep him grounded. This one feels like a mega hit ready to happe while “In Between” has a sweet mid tempo groove about a man who is neither a wild drunk nor a buttoned-up, perfect man but somewhere in the middle. Meanwhile “Wrong Again” has a funky, slinky groove to the melody as Scotty sings about falling in love even when he didn’t ever expect to. “Still,” is an acoustic based ballad that fits right in with the emotional #1 hit “Five More Minutes,” a song inspired by the passing of Scotty’s father. Finally, “This Is It” feels like a playbook for a proposal and that’s pretty much what it was for Scotty for his now fiancé. Closer “Home In My Mind” has a classic 90s country feel to it with mandolins and percussive elements lending the foundation for Scotty’s song about missing his home while away on the road, a feeling any one who lives far from where their roots are will certainly relate to.

Seasons Change not only feels like an intimate portrait of who Scotty McCreery is in 2018 but it also sets the template of where his future albums will go. This music truly IS Scotty McCreery.

3 Comments

  • KN

    It's rare when you hear an album where every song is something special. That's what you get on this album. Story telling at its finest with that smooth, deep, delivery that is one of country music's best male voices. At only 24 years old Scotty Mccreery is country music gold. A legend in the making.

  • Bob

    Enjoyed your review, I love all the songs and have several favorites. Of course Five More Minutes but I love the groovy sound of Barefootin', it just makes me want to be on the beach dancing. Still is also a favorite. So happy that Scotty was able to finally move forward and record the kind of music that he wants. When an artist is allowed to be true to themselves music lovers reap the benefits.

  • Sharon Jiles

    LOVE your review of Seasons Change, Matt--thank you! Boy, did you hit the nail on the head when you said Scotty was "always blessed with the kind of voice that most country music artists would kill for!" So true---I just love his voice, and I love all the vocal variety he displays in these 11 songs. And I love that they are coming straight from Scotty's heart to us! "This music truly IS Scotty McCreery!"