Fix a Drink EP (Warner Nashville, 2017)

The title track for Chris Janson's "Fix a Drink" mines much the same territory of his humorous 2015 single "Buy Me a Boat." It's a song about innocent escapism. Janson may not be the best man to resolve the world's many overwhelming problems, but he can make a killer alcoholic beverage. That's as far as he goes as a fixer.

This five-song EP is a relatively light-hearted little project. "Everybody" speaks to the elevated expectations of most humans. However, the character in this song has a one-track mind - he just wants to win the heart of one girl. "Little Bit of Both" is a soulful, brass-accented tune where Janson sings of enjoying a little of everything in moderation. He likes to party, yes, but he also appreciates a touch of religion in his life too. "Redneck Life" is a kind of "Born this Way," Southern style. Over a Chuck Berry-like old rock & roll groove, Janson tells us he didn't choose the redneck life; the redneck life chose him. The lone song that doesn't fit with the others is "Name on It," an overly earnest love/lust song that comes off like a b-level Luke Bryan track.

Janson sings about many of the same subjects Bryan has built his career upon, but with a far higher likeability factor. Let's put it this way. Janson's the kind of guy you'd be glad to have fixing your drinks.