If you like your storytelling country music tracks the debut album from one of Nashville’s hottest new act, Lanco, could be the album to get you through the last of the cold nights. Despite being founded in 2013 and releasing a four track EP in April 2016 you had probably never even heard of them until just a few months ago when their single ‘Greatest Love Story’ made its slow and steady climb up the charts to become platinum. Despite its release in March 2017 and being featured in the closing scenes of an episode of Netflix’s The Ranch, it only reached number one on the Country Airplay chart at the start of December and you can’t listen to a country station without hearing it!
The album opens with the band’s latest single, ‘Born To Love You’. The upbeat song draws in the listener and gives a sense of what is to come with the first love song themed track about being certain you’ve found the one for you. It starts things off with a bang and gives you a sign of what is in store from the band!
Long-time fans of the band will be aware that the second track, ‘Long Live Tonight’, was their first single back in 2016. Despite only reaching a high of number 32 in the country airplay chart it offers the listener a greater idea about what to expect from Lancaster’s writing style. In the song they tell the listener not to be afraid and to make sure you live for the moment so that you can look back on them when you are old and have no regrets.
‘Pick You Up’ looks to rekindle an old romance while smash hit ‘Greatest Love Story’ is the story of a high school sweetheart who went away to college and returns four years later at which point the narrator gets the down on one knee. If you didn’t know that though, where have you been the past few months? The only question unanswered is did she say yes?
The album continues to demonstrate how you should appreciate the finer things in life with ‘We Do’ before the heartbreak song about the girl all the guys want, ‘Trouble Maker’. Small town roots are there for all to see in ‘Singin’ At The Stars’, it doesn’t matter if you can afford an all singing all dancing date night as there is nothing wrong with lying on the car bonnet singing your favourite songs from the radio.
The real-life experiences continue with ‘Win You Over’, the first date song and having just once chance to win someone over as you never know where it could lead to. Offering the other side of the story, ‘So Long (I Do)’ is the tale of what happens when that first date doesn’t go so well and you don’t win her over!
As the album draws to its close the typically boot stomping, sing and chant along country track makes an appearance in the form of ‘Middle Of The Night’. The song is almost a tribute to the unplanned, simple night which always turn out to be the best nights and it doesn’t matter where you end up!
The album closes with the title track, ‘Hallelujah Nights’, where Lancaster offers a final reminder that it’s all about living for the moment as time goes to fast. It’s a lighters-in-the-air song that will be a perfect set closer for the band and have crowds in the palm of their hands.
Track Listing
1. Born to Love You
2. Long Live Tonight
3. Pick You Up
4. Greatest Love Story
5. We Do
6. Trouble Maker
7. Singin’ At The Stars
8. Win You Over
9. So Long (I Do)
10. Middle of The Night
11. Hallelujah Nights
Overall
Having finished 2017 on a high with the success of ‘Greatest Love Story’, it looks like 2018 is going to be a big year for Lanco! All eleven tracks on the debut album have writing credits for frontman Brandon Lancaster and perhaps that is a factor in why they come across to the listener as such relatable, real life experiences of growing up in small town southern USA. Lanco seem to bridge that country/pop divide perfectly with Lancaster’s smooth vocals and stories that we’ve all lived. Despite no official announcement from the organisers of Country2Country, the bands official website does show them as performing at the O2 for the entirety of the weekend! With the buzz still high from ‘Greatest Love Song’ and the quality of the record I can see this album going to the top of the charts and the C2C crowd is sure to be singing along in March to every word of this honest and down to earth album and not one track gets lost in the album.
Recommended Tracks
Long Live Tonight, Win You Over, Middle of the Night
Six Shooter Rating
9 out of 10