At 22, Hunter Hayes isn’t one for subtlety on his sophomore album: His up-tempo songs (“Tattoo,” “Storyline”) race with breathless rushes of lyrics and fast, busy arrangements; his ballads are intensely dramatic, whether he takes on self-esteem (the Top 10 country hit “Invisible”) or the mysteries of attraction (“Still Fallin’ “).
The Grammy-nominated rising star is following up his 2011 successful self-titled introductory record by once again co-writing, co-producing and playing several instruments on “Storyline.”
To his credit, Hayes avoids contemporary country cliches: There are no pickup trucks, dirt roads or beer drinking in these songs. Still, even though the opening “Wild Card” boasts that he’s a crazy guy, Hayes could benefit from loosening up and showing some of that wildness on record.
That said, Hayes is an inventive country-pop songwriter and performer. He and co-producer Dann Huff cram songs with clever sonic twists; they even include a couple of short musical interludes, as if the other dozen tracks don’t provide room for all of the instrumental ideas.
