On “Comin’ Home” a guy compares his improving attitude about relationships to the emergence of spring (“Say goodbye to Old Man Winter … I’m coming out of hiding/Gonna get it right this time”). Divine forgiveness for a mistake-filled past enables a burdened man to “Let It Go.” “Nothin’ to Die For” warns against drinking and driving, reminding risk-takers, “You sure do act like you don’t got a thing to lose/But every car you pass might be the ones you take with you.” The singer regrets that his night shift position keeps him from loved ones (“I’m Workin”), but …
… A pair of “d–n”s spoil that cut. Alcohol drowns sorrows on “Kristofferson” and “Whiskey and You.” Drug similes mar “I Need You” (“like a needle needs a vein”) and exacerbate a needy man’s appeal for casual sex on “Put Your Lovin’ on Me” (“Be my drug/Get me high on your touch for the night”). “Shotgun Rider” approves of picking up women at bars. On “Between the River and Me” a man uses a profanity as he proudly recounts drowning his abusive stepfather and getting away with it. “I Need You” and “Train #10” express an affection for cigarettes.
Murder, whiskey, cigs and sex. It’s a concoction teens could do without. Despite a few positive cuts, the Louisiana native fails to keep it clean on his latest chart-topping release.
