It's not quite right to say Dan + Shay play it safe on Dan + Shay, their third album, because they're looking to sustain the success they had with 2014's Where It All Began and 2016's Obsessed. Playing it safe has been central to Dan + Shay's identity since "19 You + Me" climbed its way up the charts in 2013. Arriving at the peak of party-hearty bro-country, Where It All Began adhered to traditional country-pop values: the surfaces were sleek and glossy and the focus was entirely on the softly insistent melodies, which were ...
Read More
It's not quite right to say Dan + Shay play it safe on Dan + Shay, their third album, because they're looking to sustain the success they had with 2014's Where It All Began and 2016's Obsessed. Playing it safe has been central to Dan + Shay's identity since "19 You + Me" climbed its way up the charts in 2013. Arriving at the peak of party-hearty bro-country, Where It All Began adhered to traditional country-pop values: the surfaces were sleek and glossy and the focus was entirely on the softly insistent melodies, which were delivered by Dan + Shay without flair. Four years later, the duo haven't changed their modus operandi, nor have they freshened it much. Largely ignoring the wave of R&B sweeping through modern country -- "What Keeps You Up at Night" has a touch of Southern-fried soul, but it's a throwback to the '60s; "No Such Thing" contains a light rhythm loop, along with allusions to sipping gin and juice -- Dan + Shay is another well-executed collection of music that's designed to comfort. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
Read Less