The Limestone Kid is back.
Parker McCollum, one of the hottest acts in country music, is back with his fourth studio album, Never Enough. After the success of 2021’s Gold Chain Cowboy and winning the 2022 ACM New Male Artist Award, McCollum continues his hot streak with Never Enough.
Never Enough contains pre-released tracks; Stoned, Handle On You and Tails I Lose, among others. Additionally, songs such as Hurricane, Burn It Down and Things I Never Told You, which have been played live during his latest shows, also made the album’s cut.
McCollum is a co-writer on 14 out of the 15 tracks, with Things I Never Told You being the only song that he didn’t take part in writing. He noted how he wanted to continue cutting his own songs while leaving room for an additional outside song or two.
“I wrote 14 songs, put 14 songs on the record, and one I didn’t write. Which I didn’t do on my last record, I didn’t have any outside cuts.”
The Pretty Heart singer described the album in a tweet as one that contains “sad country songs about heartbreak.” It’s safe to say that is a pretty fitting description. Many of the songs present on the album touch on familiar sad country song topics with Best I Never Had, Things I Never Told You and Burn It Down, all taking different approaches to heartbreak.
McCollum balances the heartbreak with light-hearted tracks throughout the album, as well. Speed, Hurricane and Wheel give the record a much-needed break from the heartbreak, filling the album with some upbeat tracks that bring life to the record through their fast-paced tempo and production.
Interestingly, Hurricane marks the first time that McCollum has ever used the word “beer” in any song. The lyric in question is “There ain’t much you can do but grab a beer and get out of her way.”
He noted this in a Mar. 9 tweet, remarking that he was proud that it took him four albums to mention it in a song.
Lessons From An Old Man and I Ain’t Going Nowhere feature co-writes from the legendary songwriter, Lori McKenna. Lessons From An Old Man particularly has that classic McKenna tone, feeling similar to her other co-written hit, Tim McGraw‘s Humble and Kind. It feels like a classic in the making for McCollum, complete with touches of steel guitar strewn about.
The track takes the classic trope of an old man giving advice to a younger man, filling the song with advice on how to live a meaningful life. Nearly every single lyric in the track contains some form of wisdom that could only be passed down with age. The chorus in particular contains some absolute gems that just about everyone should live by.
“It ain’t all about money, but money is nice
There’s nothing wrong with whiskey, just keep Sundays dry
There’s making a living and there’s making a life
Lessons from an old man made a young man wise”
Overall, Never Enough feels like a natural evolution for Parker McCollum, having the same charm as his previous records, with a hint of more maturity. McCollum noted that he intentionally recorded some tracks that feel like they are different from the rest of his discography.
“There are a couple songs on there that I think people will kinda turn their head at a little bit. I just try to be genuine and authentic in my approach.“
Listen to Lessons From An Old Man, Tails I Lose, and Wheel here:
