Thomas Rhett bends country with pop flair
Thomas Rhett may be classified as a country star. But it’s hardly an accurate description of what he does.
The young singer, who performed Wednesday for a RodeoHouston crowd of 73,300, doesn’t just push against the genre. He bends it and bounces far past it.
Rhett sang about (and wore) tight jeans under a Ramones jacket. He’s released just two albums and 11 singles, but he did a good job of stretching things out into a solid set.
“Star of the Show” was like a twangy Justin Timberlake tune. He jumped offstage and greeted fans during “Vacation,” which samples War’s “Low Rider.”
A new song, “Craving You,” played like Bruno Mars-lite. There were even synchronized dance moves with the band.
He took the comparison a step further with a closing cover of Mars’ “24K Magic.”
Rhett was joined by Cypress native Danielle Bradbery, who won Season 4 of “The Voice,” for “Playing With Fire.”
Her soaring vocals carried the song.
Much of Rhett’s material — “Crash and Burn,” “South Side,” “T-Shirt” — is harmless countrypop fluff. “Die a Happy Man” even comes with an ’80s-esque sax break.
It doesn’t make a huge emotional impact but is good for singalongs and thrusting cellphone lights into the air.
And that’s the stuff RodeoHouston nights are made of.
“Oh, if it’s the last show I ever get to play at the Houston Rodeo,” he sang. “Baby, I could die a happy man.”