The very title of ' 2014 comeback telegraphed how the singer saw himself in the 2010s: he was an outsider, taking on the establishment. debuted at number one and sold well but it didn't conquer the charts -- none of its singles went further than 19 on Billboard's Country Airplay charts -- and, in light of this, did something uncharacteristic: he decided to retreat. On -- its title consciously evoking the western themes of and -- is so unconcerned with hits that he decided that "Baby, Let's Lay Down and Dance," a slice of country-disco that sounds like a kissing cousin to ' "Still the One," was a good idea for a lead single. And, in a way, he's right. has its heart in the past, existing on a plane between ' arena-country '90s hits and his '70s AM influences. The difference is, is comfortable in his middle age. It's not just that his maturation gives him an easy touch in performance -- although that does help -- it's that he's no longer obsessed with being the biggest, best star in country music. Modesty is a marked shift for a singer who always seemed partially driven by the desire of shattering records, and he wears it well, digging into the honky tonk numbers, happy to sound goofy on the neon-pumping anthems, and easing into the ballads. All of these sounds are familiar, but his light touch means doesn't sound like pandering to the past but rather a cheerful acceptance of the present. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine