Dying Star

If the recipe for the singer-songwriter tradition has started to feel staid—one part confession, two parts guitar—Nashville-based Ruston Kelly instead mixes a much more complex cocktail on *Dying Star*, detailing not just his scars, but the ugly ways he got them: “Blackout” confesses his penchant for over-imbibing, while the vocoder-heavy “Son of a Highway Daughter” details his ladykiller ways. Those subjects have been well covered by other country singers, but Kelly’s weathered voice and interest in electro-pop, punk, and even emo showcase a man wrestling with toxic masculinity so he can uncover what’s underneath that palimpsest.

Ruston Kelly’s debut full-length Dying Star isn’t the best album anyone will release in 2018.

Discover Dying Star by Ruston Kelly released in 2018. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.