BWW CD Reviews: Steve Grand's ALL AMERICAN BOY is Earnest, Relatable Country

Following the success of his debut single "All American Boy," Steve Grand began working on his debut album of the same title. He released singles of tracks "Stay" and "Back to California" in addition to turning to Kickstarter for a crowd funding campaign to support the album. Raising over $325,000, his album is currently the third most funded project in Kickstarter's history. Tomorrow, March 25, 2015, the stellar, game-changing country album ALL AMERICAN BOY will be available for purchase, giving general audiences a chance to hear what his Kickstarter supporters have been raving about since they got their digital copies on February 27.

Steve Grand has been making waves since the release of his first single because he is among the first openly gay country singers. (We cannot forget about artists like openly gay Canadian country singer Drake Jensen.) Yet, like Melissa Etheridge and other successful LGTBQ artists before him, Steve Grand's album excels not because he is a gay artist. It excels because ALL AMERICAN BOY is an album made of strong love songs, gorgeously crooned ballads, and infectious pop-country anthems that listeneres of all walks of life can get lost in. Regardless of who you are, the universal human emotions expressed in these smartly penned lyrics are instantly relatable.

The lively album bounces along with charisma and cheer, with most of the songs being feel-good tracks. In addition to the previously released singles, standouts on the record include the charming "Say You Love Me," in which Steve Grand relates an experience of unrequited love. His hopeful tenor voice gives life to the sweetly amorous lyrics. With youthful vigor, on "We Are the Night," he has crafted a dance-inducing anthem that celebrates the diversity of the world. The song "Whiskey Crime" is the kind of booze infused rock-country ode to whiskey that is predictable but ultimately fun.

Furthermore, Steve Grand has composed some fantastic love songs in which sexuality is simply not an issue. In the flirty "Soakin' Wet" and the sensual "Next to Me" the protagonists and subjects aren't given a gender identity, which gives these infectious tunes extremely broad appeal. Despite a few clichés about sports that can be easily overlooked, the same is true for the heartwarming ballad "Time." No matter who you are or whom you love, songs like these speak to our collective human experiences of flirtations, love, and lust.

Despite being raised in Texas, I am just starting to find my persoanl appreciation for the country genre. Steve Grand's debut album ALL AMERICAN BOY does everything it needs to to illustrate that my choice to ignore this genre, which is known for its rich narrative sensibilities, was naïve ignorance on my part. Regardless of sexuality, this earnest album is filled with the kind of music that just makes the heart smile.

Grand Nation releases ALL AMERICAN BOY on Tuesday, March 24, 2015. The album can be purchased from http://shop.stevegrand.com (which has autogprahed physical copies), iTunes, and Amazon. For more information about Steve Grand and ALL AMERICAN BOY, please visit http://www.stevegrand.com. Also, you can follow Steve Grand on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

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