Luke Combs, “Growin’ Up.”

The last five years have likely passed in the blink of an eye for country star Luke Combs.

From releasing his first studio album in 2017 to headlining BottleRock Napa and selling out arenas, Combs has come a long way from his humble North Carolina origins. That journey has brought him here, to his third studio album, Growin’ Up, a 12-song testament to “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Combs breathes life into the genre by maintaining the elements that keep country fans coming back, as opposed to trying to generate the pop-country crossover sound of some peers. His storytelling, authenticity and humble nature make both the artist and the album one of the brightest stars in today’s country music.

Combs opens the album with an honest admission that even if fame had never found him, he would still be singing and making music, regardless of the stage. “Doin’ This” is a slow-tempo, guitar-led track reminiscent of a love ballad where music is the subject matter, as opposed to a person. He says that it was never about the crowds, the fame or the money, but his passion for country music that got him to where he is, and that passion would always exist.

Similarly, “Used To Wish I Was” follows the theme of humility as he reveals that he had dreams of being a football star or NASCAR driver like other kids, but in the end, he’s glad that they didn’t pan out. He argues he’s just another “Carolina boy” who happened to get big by playing guitar and writing songs, and while that might be an understatement, it’s easy for the listener to believe he’s simply grateful for how his life turned out. Fame and fortune aside, this album presents Combs as a genuinely humble guy who’s just as happy to play in front of a sold-out crowd as a dive bar back home in North Carolina.

The humble nature of Growin’ Up is complemented by the authenticity of Luke Combs’ songs. Listeners tend to know when an artist is pandering to them, trying to generate a sense of empathy where one doesn’t exist. Combs is not one of these artists. He probably doesn’t live like the rest of us; not anymore, but the music he creates shows that he isn’t all that different.

“Any Given Friday Night,” perhaps the most upbeat song on the album, outlines small-town America with electric guitars, drums and bass. It’s not an original concept, but Combs brings enough detail from his experience to make the trope fresh. He also brings his own take on love songs. “The Kind of Love We Make” shows he’s fine with candles and a night in. It’s simply written, lyrically reminiscent of Josh Turner’s “Your Man,” and the arrangement is hardly the star of the song. Generally speaking, it sounds like Luke Combs admitting that love doesn’t have to be grand to be worth singing about.

“Better Back When” provides another example of Combs relating to his listeners, this time about looking back on youth with rose-colored glasses and waxing on about the “good old days.”

He also has the ability to build a story within his songs, akin to country staples like Kenny Chesney. “Call Me” is the perfect smug breakup song about how the ex-girlfriend is going to talk trash when he’s not around, but at the end of the night, she’s still going to call when she’s lonely.

Combs enlists the help of Miranda Lambert, one of the country’s songwriting queens, with “Outrunnin’ Your Memory.” The duet paints the picture of a couple who can’t seem to forget one another, no matter how far they try to run. While the instrumentation is bright and the overall sound of the song is light, the lyrics provide a melancholy feel.

“On The Other Line” is a traditional country song about fishing. Combs sings about all the things that presumably his wife is telling him to do while he’s out fishing, while he tells her he’ll have to hang up because there’s a “six-pound largemouth on the other line.” The humor is a successful creative twist. 

Luke Combs is still relatively new on the scene in comparison with other country greats, but that hasn’t stopped him from making his mark. His adherence to traditions, paired with his modern experience, makes him the perfect shepherd for the genre going forward. Growin’ Up is set to give him another strong showing.

Follow writer Piper Westrom at Twitter.com/plwestrom.