On the night (Wed., Nov. 9) he successfully defended his coveted Entertainer of the Year award, Luke Combs took the CMA Awards stage with "The Kind of Love We Make" as his closing argument.
As expected, Combs skipped any sort of fashion statement splash for his performance, opting instead to wear his usual ball cap and PFG shirt combo. Indeed, the only thing that's changed about this onstage presentation in recent memory has been the ditching of his once ever-present red Solo cup.
The performance itself was also a less-is-more presentation, with a band of close friends tearing through the song in their usual blue collar-inspired way— the same as they would on any given night. Though a line of lanterns in front of the stage did add a little extra flavor for a song about fiery romance.
Penned by Combs and frequent songwriting partners the Brothers Hunt (Dan and Reid Isbell) and Jamie Davis, it's another country-meets-R&B stunner with beautiful lyrics. It's among the more tender-hearted songs that've taken priority for Combs since becoming the husband of longtime girlfriend Nicole and the dad of their first child, Tex.
Earlier this year, it became 14th straight No. 1 hit to begin his mainstream career.
Combs' run of chart success began in 2016 with breakthrough single "Hurricane," which topped Billboard's Country Airplay chart. Every single between then and "The Kind of Love We Make" topped country radio, the Hot Country Songs chart or both. As of Nov. 2022, current single "Going, Going, Gone" has to top either chart.
Combs won the CMA Entertainer of the Year award for a second consecutive year, edging out Chris Stapleton, Morgan Wallen, Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert. He's also won Album of the Year (Growin' Up).
