Combs, Luke

Vinyl Records and Rare LPs:

	Growin' Up Used - LP - 19439-97801-1 2022 Walmart exclusive pressed on cobalt blue vinyl. Glossy, NM- vinyl. Crisp gatefold jacket. "Luke Combs opens up Growin' Up with "Doin' This," a typically blunt piece of quasi-biography where he claims if he wasn't a big star he'd still be singing -- "I'd still be doin' this if I wasn't doin' this." Intended as a tribute to his genuine, down-home roots, "Doin' This" winds up as a simultaneous testament to the absolute literalism of Luke Combs. Now on his third album, Combs became one of the biggest stars in country music in the 2020s by sticking to the basics, so he's not about to shake up the formula on Growin' Up. Everything here sounds vaguely like it could've been released at some hazy point in the past, a record that's proudly built on the kind of new traditionalist values that reigned during the 1990s. With his gravelly growl, Combs sounds right at home in this clean, uncluttered setting, just as he did on his previous two records, This One's for You and What You See Is What You Get. The biggest difference on Growin' Up isn't the star power that Miranda Lambert brings -- Eric Church appeared on What You See Is What You Get -- but the general sense that Combs is operating on a grander scale this time around. The album sounds bigger, crisper, and fuller than its predecessors, boasting a sense of confidence that never suggests arrogance. Maybe it never sounds as if Combs is swaggering because his songs are so resolutely modest, having no ambitions other than delivering very good renditions of shopworn themes. Name a kind of country song, and you'll probably find it here: drinking songs, songs about regret, songs about a broken heart, songs about the past, songs about fishing. They're all sturdy tunes delivered with no nonsense from Combs but also no flair. He's such a traditionalist that he doesn't bother with putting a distinctive spin on country clichés: he's happy to deliver them and maybe even inhabit them." All Music Guide - Stephen Thomas Erlewine more
	This One's For You New - LP - 88985-38883-1 Sealed 2017 US Original. "Luke Combs' Debut Album, This One's For You, Is Anchored By The Slow-burning "Hurricane," A Ballad That Takes Its Cues From Sam Hunt's R&B Rhythms But Showcases Combs' Big, Gruff Voice. The Tension Between Combs' Traditional Side And His Modern Inclinations Is What Gives This One's For You Some Freshness And It Surfaces Often, Including On The Opening Open-road Anthem "Out There," Which Has A Busier Rhythm Than Necessary. Combs Can Also Veer Toward The Middle Of The Country-Pop Road, Whether It's On The Breezy Island Vibes Of "Don't Tempt Me," The Cautionary Tale "Be Careful What You Wish For," Or "Memories Are Made Of," Which Has A Modern Gloss Even Though Its Title Invites Nostalgia. Despite All This, Combs Seems To Favor Old-Fashioned Modes. He Kicks Up Some Dust On The Twanging "Beer Can" And "Honky Tonk Highway" (The Latter Is The Straightest Barroom Raver Here), But He Truly Specializes In Slower Stuff Like "Hurricane." Such Ballads Are All Over This One's For You -- He Simmers On "One Number Away," He Conjures Brokenhearted Soul On The Title Track, And He Offers A Sweet, Spare, Backporch Love Song "I Got Away With You" -- And They're The Songs That Anchor The Record While Pointing Toward A Potentially Long Career For This Singer." AMG - Stephen Thomas Erlewine. more
	This One's For You New - LP - 88985-38883-1 Sealed 2017 US Original. "Luke Combs' Debut Album, This One's For You, Is Anchored By The Slow-burning "Hurricane," A Ballad That Takes Its Cues From Sam Hunt's R&B Rhythms But Showcases Combs' Big, Gruff Voice. The Tension Between Combs' Traditional Side And His Modern Inclinations Is What Gives This One's For You Some Freshness And It Surfaces Often, Including On The Opening Open-road Anthem "Out There," Which Has A Busier Rhythm Than Necessary. Combs Can Also Veer Toward The Middle Of The Country-Pop Road, Whether It's On The Breezy Island Vibes Of "Don't Tempt Me," The Cautionary Tale "Be Careful What You Wish For," Or "Memories Are Made Of," Which Has A Modern Gloss Even Though Its Title Invites Nostalgia. Despite All This, Combs Seems To Favor Old-Fashioned Modes. He Kicks Up Some Dust On The Twanging "Beer Can" And "Honky Tonk Highway" (The Latter Is The Straightest Barroom Raver Here), But He Truly Specializes In Slower Stuff Like "Hurricane." Such Ballads Are All Over This One's For You -- He Simmers On "One Number Away," He Conjures Brokenhearted Soul On The Title Track, And He Offers A Sweet, Spare, Backporch Love Song "I Got Away With You" -- And They're The Songs That Anchor The Record While Pointing Toward A Potentially Long Career For This Singer." AMG - Stephen Thomas Erlewine. more
	What You See Ain’t Always What You Get New - LP - 19075956872 Sealed 2020 3LP Deluxe Tri-Fold Original. Some Light Corner Rubs And A Few Light Crease Marks At Spine Edge. Small Bottom Left Corner Push. "Luke Combs Almost Seems To Be Shrugging With The Title What You See Is What You Get, A Suspicion Underscored By The Album's Perfunctory Cover Art. Neither Suggest That Combs Harbors Any Grand Ambitions, An Impression That Isn't Strictly True. The North Carolinian Styles Himself As A Humble Singer Carrying On Country Traditions Steeped In The Sounds Of The '90s But With Roots That Stretch Back Much Farther. Certainly Combs Leans Into That Heritage By Inviting Brooks & Dunn To Sing On The Rowdy "1, 2 Many," One Of Many Drinking Tunes Scattered Throughout What You See Is What You Get. While He May Kick Up Some Dust, Combs Is A Sentimentalist, Singing Song After Song About His Home And Heart. These Are Time-honored Traditions In Country And Combs Never Attempts To Subvert Expectations Here, Or Even Freshen Them Up. He Aims Straight Down The Middle Of The Road, Adding A Few Layers Of Gloss And Punchier Rhythms To A Formula He Established With His 2017 Debut This One's For You, With Slight Alterations In The Production That Amount To An Album That Feels Clean, Slick, And Confident, And Captures A Singer Embracing His Burgeoning Stardom. If There Are Any Flaws To What You See Is What You Get, It's That Its Very Length Can Work Against It. At 60 Minutes, The Album Runs Through So Many Sturdy Midtempo Tunes About Family, Heartbreak, And Love That The Seams Holding Combs' Everyday Persona Together Start To Show -- All The Variations On A Theme Can't Help But Reveal The Calculation Behind The Image -- But Taken On A Song-by-song Basis, What You See Is What You Get Is A Solid Album, Proudly Made Just The Way They Used To Be Back In The '90s." AMG Review By Stephen Thomas Erlewine. more