Jon Pardi Sets New Album “Mr. Saturday Night”
For 10 years now, Dixon, California native Jon Pardi has been a bright spot in the mainstream of country, doing his damnedest to keep it real with ample fiddle and steel guitar, and songs that go a little deeper than many of his mainstream counterparts. One of the reasons country sounds a lot more country now is at least partly due to Jon Pardi and his success, proving actual country still has an audience.
On September 2nd, Jon Pardi will release his latest album Mr. Saturday Night via Universal Music Group Nashville. Featuring fourteen songs, it was produced by Bart Butler, Ryan Gore and Jon Pardi himself. This is a good sign, because this was the same team behind Pardi’s 2019 album Heartache Medication, which came in at #1 on Saving Country Music’s Best Mainstream Albums of 2019.
Heartache Medication was also went onto be nominated for both the CMA and ACM Album of the Year, speaking to the reception for Jon Pardi’s more traditional style of country music. This arguably helped open the door for other artists to make more country-sounding albums, like Carly Pearce’s 29: Written In Stone, Lainey Wilson’s Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’, and other titles.
“A lot of time was spent living with the songs on this record,” says Pardi. “There is more life experience on ‘Mr. Saturday Night’ than any album I’ve released before. I chose ‘Mr. Saturday Night’ as the title track because it’s special to me. I’ve been hanging onto it for three years and can’t wait for people to hear it, and the rest of these songs.”
Two songs from the album have already been released: the fiddle-driven “Last Night Lonely,” which is Pardi’s current radio single now sitting inside the Top 20, and the honky-tonk drinking song “Fill ‘Er Up.” Of course, this is still the mainstream/major label world, so the lead songs from any album will always be a bit more pragmatic. We’ll have to see what the rest of Mr. Saturday Night has in store come September. But with Jon Pardi’s track record as one of the most traditional-sounding guys impacting country radio, it’s definitely one to anticipate.
We don’t have a track list for Mr. Saturday Night just yet, but the album is now available for pre-order.
June 21, 2022 @ 9:13 am
Jon Pardi is one a the very few mainstream country singers I not only tolerate, but love. His interview with Grady Smith on YouTube is really insightful. I love his attitude of making fun, upbeat songs but still making them country. His inclusion of so much fiddle makes me very happy.
June 21, 2022 @ 9:44 am
Grady is cool. I’m still amazed that Bobby Bones is even a thing.
June 21, 2022 @ 10:43 am
You have a lot more faith than me. On the album cover, he’s not wearing a cowboy hat. If Chris Young was any indication, once that cowboy hat is gone your label is trying to make you more commercially appealing. I’ll wait to hear the album in full before becoming excited.
June 21, 2022 @ 11:06 am
JP’s first album was hatless as were the videos, and it was just as country as the rest of em. I also don’t see him slamming out “Last Night Lonely” and then it being super pop the rest of it!
June 21, 2022 @ 1:54 pm
There’s no way Jon Pardi’s pulling a Chris Young at this stage in his career, not with the success of Luke Combs, Cody Johnson and Jon Pardi himself in the last few years. I wouldn’t worry about a hat
June 21, 2022 @ 3:31 pm
This new album seems to be more 70s inspired. Based only on the album cover
June 23, 2022 @ 9:30 am
If you watch his interview with Grady Smith on YouTube, Jon Pardi said he had to fight the label to wear a cowboy hat. They didn’t want him to have it, but he said that it was authentic to him. He does what he wants. Just because one picture doesn’t have him wearing it doesn’t mean it won’t be country.
June 23, 2022 @ 6:21 pm
I understand the comparison, but Chris Young has a golden voice, and Jon Pardi does not. I don’t think he’s got a sell-out voice.
June 24, 2022 @ 3:29 pm
George Jones among others never wore a cowboy hat. Is George Jones not country????????
June 21, 2022 @ 12:23 pm
Glad to see that Pardi has become a big star. I was rooting for him since he released “What I Can’t Put Down” (which I still think should’ve been a big hit).
June 22, 2022 @ 3:32 pm
love that song. shouldve been Yuge.
June 21, 2022 @ 12:56 pm
I haven’t turned on a “New Country” radio station in years. I am nervous to do so even today. Will we get stuff like him, or will half of it still be crap?
June 21, 2022 @ 1:12 pm
If you like Brothers Osborne, Florida Georgia Line, you are absolutely going to Love Jon Pardi, Girl …
Straight up Trashville
June 21, 2022 @ 1:51 pm
you can’t put jon pardi and brothers osborne in the same box as FGL, even if you don’t like them. maybe im a little more open than most traditionalists, but i can tolerate maybe 35-40% of songs on the songs on the new country playlists on spotify/apple/etc
June 21, 2022 @ 5:50 pm
Comparing Jon Pardi to Florida Georgia Line is ridiculous.
June 21, 2022 @ 8:13 pm
Ok.
You win.
June 21, 2022 @ 3:34 pm
Jon gets played at radio.
His current single is nearing the top 10 on the radio charts. And it was just released to radio during the 1st week of March. Which is pretty quick nowadays
June 21, 2022 @ 1:57 pm
Not gonna lie, I liked Heartache Medication a lot when that came out. Good blend of the traditional and the pop-cheese. The latest Pardi singles lean even harder on the pop-cheese though. Will reserve opinions ’til I hear the whole thing but my expectations are pretty low.
Felt the same way about Brothers Osborne’s Port St. Joe, but the album after that went full-cheese. Couldn’t stomach it. I don’t get why that line is so thin, and why so few popular artists can’t walk that line without going full-cheese. It’s like the promise of stadium tours and top-40 radio play is just way too strong, so sticking with some of the more traditional sounds that put them on the map gets way riskier as they become more popular.
June 22, 2022 @ 3:26 pm
No, it isn’t. He sounds EXACTLY like the lead puke from fgl. Anyone who I mistake for fgl is never getting a pass from me. “Dirt on my boots” is a Florida Georgia line song sung by and fgl imitator. Anyone who can’t hear how close the two voices sound is blatantly deaf. “Where you at where you at where you at tonight” is as fgl as you can get
June 25, 2022 @ 6:19 pm
The key to Pardi is his instruments. He has an amazing recording band. Love that fiddle.
June 21, 2022 @ 3:27 pm
I hope his wedding song “Look at You” is on this new album.
That song has the potential to be a career changing single for Jon. Similar to how “Beautiful Crazy” changed everything for Luke Combs.
I hope this album has more love songs and life stories than the usual drinking songs that Pardi seems to love. “Fill Er Up” is instrumentally awesome but lyrically is quite shallow
June 22, 2022 @ 2:05 pm
Call Me Country is my favorite
June 21, 2022 @ 4:18 pm
He’s the life of the Pardi, looking forward to this new release, my kids and myself love him!
June 21, 2022 @ 10:38 pm
I have been waiting for this annoucement for a while. If it’s even half as good as Heartache Medication, it’ll still be one of the one of the mainstream highlights of 2022.
June 25, 2022 @ 11:50 pm
Fill er Up is just a copycat of “Pop a Top” by Jim Ed Brown…
July 8, 2022 @ 7:14 am
Pardi CANNOT sing in pitch live to save his ass.