How Country Feels

Houser collaborates with Zac Brown for the smoky ballad “Along for the Ride.” where his voice simmers down to let listeners home in on the nuances of his richly toned tenor. Kristy Lee Cook pipes in her silky vocals for the heartfelt duet “Wherever Love Goes”; then “Like a Cowboy” puts the power back in the power ballad with emotional urgency. Speaking of rock, the album’s outstanding title track kicks out distorted AC/DC–flavored riffs.

Shifting to an independent label after two under-performing records released on Show Dog/Universal, pro songwriter turned singer Randy Houser ditches the lean, muscular modern country of 2010's They Call Me Cadillac on its 2013 sequel, How Country Feels, embracing instead the bright, bouncy songs of contemporary country-pop.