Review- Tanner Usrey: Crossing Lines
2023 has been a good year for Tanner Usrey. In addition to the hundreds of shows in clubs and on festival stages, he has racked up millions of all-important streams and unleashed a series of singles which are part of his debut full-length album, Crossing Lines, releasing November 17 on Atlantic Records. Since 2019, he’s been hard at work on his music career with the release of his Medicine Man EP. Two singles, each generating over 18 million Spotify streams, led to the SOL Sessions EP for being named “Emerging Artist” by the Peacemaker Music Festival in 2021. With over 180 shows in 2022, word continued to spread about the emerging star from Prosper, Texas.
Several of the songs on the new record have already been released as singles and have been included in Usrey’s live shows, making them familiar to his growing legion of fans. These tunes “cross the lines” from all-out rockers to straight-ahead acoustic country to Americana duets.
The focus track for the album release is “Beautiful Lies,” a song released last year as a one-off single recorded live with Texas singer/songwriter Graycie York but returns on Crossing Lines with the guest vocals of Alabama singer/songwriter Ella Langley. It is absolutely the highlight of the record; a great song made even stronger by the addition of a full band and Ella’s soaring voice. If you’re looking for a hit record to hear on the radio, start with this one. (The tune is also reprised as an acoustic guitar/solo vocal arrangement as the record’s last track.)
Photo by Chase Denton
The heartfelt “Last Goodbye” was released over the summer and features York with harmony vocals and Usrey adds backing vocals from Jessi England on the mid-tempo “Evelyn’s Eyes” as he continues to showcase women singers.
Tanner shows off his swagger and his guitar-driven side on the rocker “Destiny” which was recently released as a single but has been on the live show setlist for a while and has already become a fan favorite. The up-tempo “Give It Some Time” (co-written with producer Beau Bedford) and “Who I Am” have also been released as singles and display his impressive vocal range and songwriting depth. Heavier tracks on the record include “Echo in the Holler,” “Black Widow,” and the get-back-to-Texas rocker “Guns, Drugs and Allergy Pills” which sounds like it should be a show-opener.
Usrey has always had a softer side which is featured in the other songs already out as singles: “Take Me Home” and “Pick Up the Phone” with both having found a home in the live show. He includes another “unplugged” tune with “Make You Weep” and the more up-tempo “Down Here at the Bottom” (stretching out for over 7 minutes!), adding more flavor to this packed record.
The title track “Crossing Lines” is about as good a country song as you’ll want to hear. The lyrics tell the story of someone trying to get themselves right but just can’t:
I'm just a dreamer who's getting older / Keep making the same mistakes over and over /
I'm getting tired of making excuses / While my mother keeps on praying to Jesus /
That I make a change from my wicked ways / But I keep on doing all the same damn things /
Cause I’m pretty good at faking sober and pretty good at crossing over those lines /
You would think that would be a quiet, depressing song. However, Tanner gives it a bright delivery; giving hope that better days just might be ahead.
Those better days for Tanner Usrey should be coming often in 2024 with the release of Crossing Lines. Five years of hard work culminating into this solid collection of songs showcasing his powerful voice and diversity of styles. Crossing Lines will bring even more fans as he continues his busy touring schedule, but now armed with a big record label to help spread the word.
Find out more about Tanner Usrey at the links below: