Here’s To The Good Times by Florida Georgia Line

Last February the guys in Florida Georgia Line were driving around in a small tour van. They were looking for any attention they could get for their brand of fun country music.

Just a year later the guys have become one of the biggest acts of the last year. It’s amazing how fast fortunes can change in the music industry. It really is a hit that can change everything and now the guys will always have a place in country music history.

When Cruise came out it really seemed to climb the charts fast. The song is incredibly catchy and cool. It’s a fun song that isn’t too serious, but people really took to it over the summer of 2012. It’s a song that will probably be played over and over again for years to come. It really sounds like one of those that will have a long life.

Now the question is how far the guys can take it. Their second single is already in the top 30 and doing well. They’re part of the new breed of country artists that isn’t just focused on radio play. While they do well with radio the guys are also focused on getting songs played in all the other available channels. It leads to big single sales, which is how the Country Singles chart is calculated now.

Here is my track by track thoughts on their debut album. I purchased it the day it came out and have been listening to it for a while.

Album Review: Here’s To The Good Times

If you like Cruise then you’re going to like all the songs on this record. They have the same sound while still giving you something different each time. I can’t help, but think of the early albums by Brooks & Dunn when I listen to this record. You feel the energy that you just don’t get from other artists right now.

Brooks & Dunn changed things 20 years ago when they first started out. I think Florida Georgia Line has a chance to fill that void. There’s a party loving crowd of young people out there now and they want as much music from these guys as they can give.

1. Cruise

By now everyone has heard the lead hit single from the album. It’s incredibly catchy and fun. You can’t get past that killer hook when you listen. It gets stuck in your head for days.

2. Round Here

The second song here sounds like it should be a single. It’s about the life these guys have been living. They come from hard working people who like to lay back and have a good time when the work week is over.

3. Get Your Shine On

This is the second single. It was actually the song I took too the most after Cruise when I was listening to the EP before the full album came out. It’s catchy and fun. It’s a simple love song and it’s really well done.

4. Here’s To The Good Times

The title track off the album is a good one. It fits perfect for the kind of music these guys make. It’s a great title track and it’s about just what you would expect. Enjoy life a little bit.

5. It’z Just What We Do

By the time you get to this track on the album you’ll already know that FGL do things differently. You get an even better look into that aspect with the title of this song. Great track right here. These guys are proud of who they are and people are buying into the life like crazy.

6. Stay

You could call this the power ballad on the record. For that reason it might become a single. The guys do have the feel of an ’80s hair metal band, which is an era I love. Great song about someone that’s leaving. The guy is doing what he can to keep her around.

7. Hell Raisin’ Heat Of The Summer

This is the one for the summer lovers out there. It’s about the time you spend just getting in trouble and having fun until everybody has to settle back down when the cold weather hits.

8. Tell Me How You Like It

This song is a bit different. It’s a little more intense, but you feel the emotion of love (or lust) streaming out of the vocals and the lyrics. Great song that’s a slight change of pace.

9. Tip It Back

This is another Saturday evening song. You kick back with a cold drink and just enjoy the company. It’s like a Dierks Bentley song, but taken to a whole new level of fun, which is pretty hard to do.

10. Dayum, Baby

I swear the guys heard the song Damn Baby from the last Montgomery Gentry record and felt they had to turn the hook into their own single. It’s probably not true, but this is another instance of these guys doing things different. Hopefully they never stop taking this approach with their music. They don’t need to change for anybody because people love what they’re doing.

11. Party People

The final song on the album is a great one to finish things off. These guys love a party crowd and they’re ending things with a party on this last song. It’s a little tip of the hate to the fans that love these guys.

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