Cole Swindell surprised fans and critics alike when the first new song from his upcoming project was a thoughtful, downtempo ballad called "Break Up In The End." But Swindell's new song "Reason To Drink" finds the bro country mainstay back to his usual high spirits — both figuratively and literally.
With a heavy swing and a singalong feel, "Reason To Drink" celebrates, well, just about whatever brought everybody into the bar in the first place. "We're all in our own little 'getting right' situation," Swindell sings to open the song.
The rest of the tune feels a little predictable (like the obligatory country radio shout out). But it also really doesn't matter, because "Reason to Drink" is, well, a drinking song. It also aims to bring folks together, albeit in Swindell's own way.
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It's not hard to imagine stadium crowds hollering along to the song with a back-and-forth sway. Which is probably the optimal way to enjoy this song. You know, without digging too deeply into the undertones of problem drinking.
And credit where credit is due: Swindell's delivery on "Reason to Drink" feels lively and enthusiastic. In the past, the singer could veer a bit too calculated. But there's a certain character in this new tune that has been elusive in some of his earlier work.
The Georgia native announced the Reason To Drink Tour earlier this year with openers Chris Janson and Lauren Alaina. It was the country music singer's first headlining tour after several stints opening for superstars like Dierks Bentley, Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean. His last studio album You Should Be Here spawned the No. 1 singles "You Should Be Here" and "Middle Of A Memory."
Cole Swindell's third full length album is due out later in 2018.
