Take ’em to Church.
Thomas Rhett has always been a big Eric Church guy, speaking in the past about the influence that Church’s 2011 album Chief had on him:
“When Chief came out, I remember my mind being blown at the way he could tell a story and the energy he could have on a record and how he could blend rock & roll and country music so well. I love that he just does him and there’s no shame in it.”
He’s recalled listening to “These Boots” on repeat, and even name-dropped Church on the title track to his 2021 album Country Again.
“But last night we cracked some cold beersAnd cranked Eric Church to tenThought, man it feels good to be country again”
So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that TR is once again paying tribute to one of his musical heroes on his new album.
Thomas Rhett dropped his newest album, About A Woman, today. And one song, “Church,” is filled with references to the Chief.
Church’s music serves as the backdrop for the love story, with songs like “Sinners Like Me” and “Love Your Love the Most” taking him back to the memories they made together listening to Church as their romance blossomed:
“She played me her favorite song ‘Sinners Like Me’
And I ain’t been the same since the first time I heard the Chief
She was my Carolina, red bandana, Ray-Ban singin’ oh, ‘Springsteen’
‘Young and Wild’ that summer’s why “Love Your Love the Most” still sounds like, oh eighteen
Back then these boots were almost new
I was still learnin’ the words
That Friday night I was holding onto her
She took me to Church”
The song evokes a lot of the same themes as Church’s own “Springsteen,” connecting melodies and memories like going to a Church concert and hearing “Talladega” and “Like Jesus Does,” and songs like “How ‘Bout You” taking him back to their first kiss.
And listen, I’m not the biggest Thomas Rhett fan. He has a few here and there that I enjoy, but overall his music is too poppy for me. And this one’s definitely on the more poppy side (what was that about how great it felt to be country again?), but it’s still a feel-good song that I could see myself listening to as I’m driving around with the windows down.
