On Luke Combs Playing the Newport Folk Festival

Yes, Luke Combs is one of the largest names in popular country music. But from the very beginning, Combs has always proven to go deeper than the surface with his music.
Yes, Luke Combs is one of the largest names in popular country music. But from the very beginning, Combs has always proven to go deeper than the surface with his music.
“Fathers & Sons” is far and away the best-written album of Luke’s career. It’s also far and away the most country-sounding album of his career. Poignant, purposeful, heartfelt, and graced by perfect timing…
Luke Combs may be the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, but you get the distinct impression that he’s barely aware of it. There’s no cocksure attitude as he stands up there on stage in his Bass Pro fishing shirt with the flap across the back. He’s just a grown up pudgy choir kid from North Carolina.
this is like getting a new Adam Hood album, and Adam Hood/Brent Cobb collaborative album, and a Blackberry Smoke side project all rolled up into one. Many people in the Adam Hood orbit who respect the songwriting of the Opelika, Alabama native answered the call to make ‘Bad Better Days’ a career effort.
Matt Daniel immediately appeals to your country bone with a great country voice. And like the Turnpike Troubadours, it’s a traditional country sound with fiddle and steel, but with just a dash of rock and roll energy and swagger to give it a bit more immediacy.
Luke Combs didn’t just put Zach Bryan, Morgan Wade, and Cody Johnson on a poster. He put out a whole promotional video featuring these artists as part of the announcement, and splattering it all over social media. Even if people don’t attend these events, the damage is done.
It’s not that Luke Combs is ideal, because he isn’t. Hell, who is? And for many independent fans, he will never compete with the likes of Cody Jinks or Tyler Childers in their hearts. But who would you rather have being the face of mainstream country at the moment?
Even in this confounding day and age in country music, it all still starts with a song. Not a beat, not a riff, but a song. Words, music, and melody. Story and inspiration. It’s what separates country music from certain other musical art forms, no matter how much it may get boiled down.
When making the case for the character of someone, it’s not just about how they rise to the top, but what they do when they get there. In the case of Luke Combs, he’s been using his platform and his time off of the road during the pandemic to promote and collaborate with some of the best artists in independent country.
Luke Combs announced recently that his new radio single will be “Lovin’ On You,” and I can’t help but think this decision is a one big boner. Luke already had another single out there gaining serious traction on radio, even as his previous one was cresting the charts. It’s the well-written and fiercely topical “Six Feet Apart.”
Pairing with independent songwriter Brent Cobb who had his own fast-rising career put on hold due to COVID-19, and well-regarded Nashville singer/songwriter Rob Snyder who rumor has it is finally releasing a debut album later this year, Luke Combs may have just delivered the quarantine song of the spring called “Six Feet Apart.”
The brain child of songwriter Rob Snyder, The Revival is celebrating its two year anniversary next Tuesday, May 19th. A songwriter in-the-round setup with just acoustic guitars, The Revival is a place to not just be seen, but heard, and one of the few places you’ll find true songwriters still playing inspired songs mere steps from Music Row proper.