1 Country Girl (Shake It for Me) - 3:45
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2 Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye - 3:23
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3 Drunk on You - 3:33
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4 Too Damn Young - 3:36
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5 I Don't Want This Night to End - 3:39
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6 You Don't Know Jack - 3:16
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7 Harvest Time - 3:27
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8 I Know You're Gonna Be There - 3:36
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9 Muckalee Creek Water - 3:56
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10 Tailgate Blues - 3:43
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11 Been There, Done That - 4:29
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12 Faded Away - 3:48
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13 I Knew You That Way - 3:32
The third time around,
Luke Bryan doubles down on his calling card: his inherent sweetness, the warmth he has as the country boy next door.
Bryan is so genial that when he implores his country girl to “shake it for me,” there’s nary a trace of lasciviousness: he just wants to be sure she’s having a good time. This aw-shucks generosity resonates throughout
Tailgates & Tanlines, a record that capitalizes on the relaxed professionalism of 2009’s
Doin’ My Thing.
Bryan’s bright setting plays as pop -- it’s too clean and crisp, too bereft of grit to ever be mistaken as something hardcore -- but his foundation is pure country, songs that are sturdy and unfussy, never bothering with sugary pop hooks. This is a slight shift from
Doin’ My Thing, which was pop enough to have a
OneRepublic cover fit within the context, but
Bryan retains the shiny friendliness of his sophomore set and marries it to songs that are strictly country, whether they’re a lazy Sunday stroll like “Too Damn Young,” the country corn of “You Don’t Know Jack,” the farmtown anthem “Harvest Time,” the blues stomp of “Muckalee Creek Water,” or the open-road sprightliness of “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye.” Much of this is modern in sensibility, anchored by subtle ties to the past, a deliberate move from
Bryan both as a writer -- he had a hand in penning eight of the 13 tunes here -- and a performer, showing that he knows exactly what his strengths are: he’s not flashy yet he’s not boring, he’s laid-back and assured, a modern guy who knows his roots but is happy to be in the present, and it’s hard not to smile along with the guy as he sings. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
- Mastering - Adam Ayan
- Guitar (Electric) - Adam Shoenfeld
- Composer - Arlis Albritton
- Composer - Ashley Gorley
- Vocals (Background) - Ashton Shepherd
- Composer - Ben Hayslip
- Composer - Brent Cobb
- Guitar (Electric) - Brent Mason
- Assistant - Brien Sager
- Composer - Casey Kessel
- Assistant - Chris Ashburn
- Composer - Chris Tompkins
- Vocals (Background) - Clare Dunn
- Composer - Dallas Davidson
- Grooming - Debra Williams
- Engineer - Derek Bason
- Mixing - Derek Bason
- Percussion - Eric Darken
- Composer - Erin Enderlin
- Vocals (Background) - Georgia Middleman
- Drums - Greg Morrow
- Mastering - Hank Williams
- Banjo - Ilya Toshinsky
- Guitar (Acoustic) - Ilya Toshinsky
- Mandolin - Ilya Toshinsky
- Guitar (Electric) - J.T. Corenflos
- Composer - Jay Clementi
- Digital Editing - Jed Hackett
- Guitar (Electric) - Jeff King
- Composer - Jeff Stevens
- Producer - Jeff Stevens
- Bass - Jimmie Lee Sloas
- Art Direction - Joanna Carter
- Engineer - Jody Stevens
- Fiddle - Joe Spivey
- Mandolin - Joe Spivey
- Guitar (Acoustic) - John Willis
- Composer - Josh Kear
- Guitar (Electric) - Kenny Greenberg
- Photography - Kristin Barlowe
- Wardrobe - Lee Moore
- Composer - Luke Bryan
- Keyboards - Mark Bright
- Producer - Mark Bright
- Composer - Michael Carter
- Art Producer - Michelle Hall
- Production Assistant - Mike "Frog" Griffith
- Bass - Mike Brignardello
- Organ - Mike Rojas
- Piano - Mike Rojas
- Assistant - Mike Rooney
- Engineer - Mills Logan
- Composer - Neil Medley
- Composer - Patrick Jason Matthews
- Composer - Rachel Thibodeau
- Vocals (Background) - Rachel Thibodeau
- Composer - Radney Foster
- Composer - Rhett Akins
- Dobro - Rob Ickes
- Composer - Rodney Clawson
- Vocals (Background) - Russell Terrell
- Production Assistant - Scott Johnson
- Composer - Shane McAnally
- Assistant - Ted Wheeler
- Assistant - Tom Frietag
- Package Design - Wendy Stamberger
