Luke Combs’ second album wins over even country haters

Madaket Chiarieri, co-editor-in-chief

Counting down the days until your favorite artist releases new music is like waiting through the last few days until Christmas morning. When I heard country singer Luke Combs would be releasing his second album, I set an alarm for the crack of dawn on Nov. 8; I had to be the first to hear the record.

Whether you’re a country music fan or hater, Combs can make you a fan with his voice and style. He grew to fame after the 2017 release of his debut album, This One’s For You, which held number one on Billboard’s Top Country Albums for 50 weeks. In the current schism that is country music, Combs lies perfectly between pop country and true American country in his second album, What You See Is What You Get.

With 17 heartfelt, homegrown tracks, the album is nothing short of the high standards one would expect from Combs. Sharing the lessons he’s learned in his 29 years, What You See Is What You Get covers everything from love and heartbreak to growing up and spending time with best friends. The album starts off strong with “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” the first single to be released. Despite discussing the many ways he’s been let down, Combs brightly says he can always return to an ice-cold beer to bring up his mood. This song brought the album to fame before it was even released.

“Refrigerator Door,” is an overlooked hit, coming second on the track list, a reflective song in which Combs brings up important events in his life as told by the pictures, recipes, and postcards on the door of his fridge. “Refrigerator Door” is followed by “Even Though I’m Leaving,” Combs’ song dedicated to his father and how they are always with each other despite not physically being together.

The fourth and best song on the album is “Lovin’ On You,” a classic country track that makes you want to get on the dance floor and do the Hoedown Throwdown. Combs says he’s “in love and lovin’ on you,” just as listeners will be with Combs when they hear this song. “Reasons,” another underrated track on the album, is a good sing-along song for the days you’re lost and wondering why things happen.

The title track, “What You See Is What You Get,” is an indirect message of self-love despite what you might be in others’ eyes. The album ends with a tear-jerker in “Better Together.” Combs dedicated the song to his fiancée and, with the instrumental piano, describes how they are “a match made up in heaven.”

Combs hit it out of the park on What You See Is What You Get. While some may argue it’s just another country album, it has a song for every mood, and Combs is feeling it with you. I was expecting good things from Combs’s second album, but what I got was so much more.