Anything Goes

Audio Mixer: Joey Moi.
Recording information: Big Loud Mountain Studios, Nashville, TN.
Photographer: Jeremy Cowart.
When Florida Georgia Line released their debut Here's to the Good Times in 2012, the duo of Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard had no idea what kind of good times were about to come their way. Surely, the duo had a record-breaking 2013, as their breakthrough hit "Cruise" racked up 24 weeks at number one on the Billboard country charts, breaking the record that had stood in place since 1955. Such success surely can't be replicated and, to FGL's credit, they don't seem quite as concerned with surpassing "Cruise" and "Get Your Shine On" on 2014's Anything Goes, their highly anticipated second album. Despite the loosey-goosey title, there's not much left to chance on Anything Goes: it's designed to consolidate Florida Georgia Line's success and maybe give them a little bit of cred they never amassed on their debut. Those serious moments, crystallized by the salt-of-the-earth dirgey lead single "Dirt," are where FGL stumble. Whenever the duo acknowledge their essential suburbanness -- which they do often, singing about Victoria's Secret, Bacardi, and Seven Jeans among any other number of lifestyle signifiers -- things flow just fine on Anything Goes. Kelley and Hubbard have an easy chemistry that lends itself to lubrication by Auto-Tune and the sleek digital gloss that shimmers over the entire album. Sometimes, FGL broaden their musical scope -- there's some reggae on "Sun Daze," which embraces the reggae sunsplash aspirations of its title -- but Anything Goes shines brightest when they do modulated riffs on "Cruise" or "Get Your Shine On," relying on party anthems that are bright, laid-back, and never, ever rowdy. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine