Born Here Live Here Die Here

Perhaps it was meant as a celebration of the pleasures of home, but there's a telling complacency lying within the heart of the title of Born Here Live Here Die Here. Seven albums deep into his career, Luke Bryan sees no reason to mess with the cheery sound that brought him fame and fortune. Boozy anthems sit alongside sentimental ballads, with the two extremes bridged by sunny pop tunes about love, the outdoors, and other country concerns. Bryan may still act like it's 2010 but he can't turn back the hands of time. Now firmly ensconced in middle age, he moves a little slower and sounds a bit gentler than he used to, an overall mellowing that changes the tenor of his music. What once played like a party now feels like comfort or, at best, the soundtrack to a midweek happy hour. Bryan's signature friendliness helps sell these subdued good times, but the leisurely pace also means he often sounds like a dad telling dorky jokes. When he rhapsodizes about "Knocking Boots," there's no danger