Summer Forever (Mercury Nashville, 2015)

Billy Currington is a prototypical bro country specimen with his boyish good looks, infectious charm and smooth voice. That said, he has avoided being thrust into the negative stereotypes of that group largely because his songs avoid the harder edges of the sub-genre. His lyrics generally avoid excessive partying and objectifying women. His catalog of catchy numbers and sweet ballads lends an Adult Contemporary feel to the material.

His sixth studio album is a breezy 12-song collection where Dan Huff's minimalistic production fits the common thread of relationship themes of desire, breakup and basic love. Though Currington has said that he loves a sad song as much as anyone else, he is not known for any heavy handed material, and you won't find any here.

The album is chock full of co-write credits including Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne and Ashley Gorley. The highlight is a duet with Jessie James Decker, "Good Night." Their harmonies blend well on the ballad. It also marks a demarcation line for the rest of the album, which is back end loaded with very catchy pop, including a fun but slightly out of place rap attempt on "Soundtrack." The title track is a vapid closer. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Florida Georgia Line's Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard share co-writing credits here.

Much like Luke Bryan's spring break EPs, this feels more like a seasonal offering than a staple in your collection. It makes for a nice summer playlist, but not much more.