Kill the Lights
by Luke Bryan
  • Record Label: Capitol
  • Release Date: Aug 7, 2015
Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
Buy Now
Buy on
  1. AllMusic
    Aug 7, 2015
    80
    Kill the Lights winds up feeling happy and generous, an inclusive record that plays to teenage desires as effectively as memories of an adolescence left behind.
  2. Country Weekly
    Aug 14, 2015
    75
    Kill the Lights isn’t consistently pleasing, but it does represent a progression and evolution from Luke’s previous material.
  3. Entertainment Weekly
    Aug 7, 2015
    75
    Slow-burners like “Strip It Down” and “To the Moon and Back,” which both find the sexy in long-term monogamy, are the moments that work best.
  5. PopMatters
    Aug 14, 2015
    70
    So bro-country this is, in that the women are shadows and might be figments of the man’s imagination.
  6. Boston Globe
    Aug 7, 2015
    70
    Tracks like the straightforward “Huntin’, Fishin’, and Lovin’ Every Day” and the shimmering, wistful “Just Over” apply Bryan’s smooth charm to aspects of the Nashville template, his omnivorous nature peeks through here and there.
  7. Spin
    Aug 14, 2015
    60
    He’s chosen good material and done right by it. But Kill the Lights sees him both at an apex and a crossroad.
  8. Rolling Stone
    Aug 7, 2015
    60
    Bryan's fifth studio album is well-turned Nashville radio bait, trite yet undeniable, sure to drive up bar tabs in 50 states and beyond.
  9. Los Angeles Times
    Aug 7, 2015
    50
    Bryan, never a particularly flexible singer, sounds even more wooden than usual in these tracks; for the first time, this 39-year-old father of two seems a bit embarrassed here, which threatens to topple the whole enterprise.... The singer is far more convincing in the album’s slower, quieter tunes.
  10. New York Daily News (Jim Faber)
    Aug 7, 2015
    40
    He serves up several ballads, which salute hunting, fishing, and scarecrows. None are particularly convincing, given the anchor-man blandness of Bryan’s vocals.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
3.7

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 35 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 35
  3. Negative: 22 out of 35
  1. beast334
    Aug 9, 2015
    10
    This album is really interesting. Luke has managed to make some different sound work really well. Yes, it is not traditional country, but heThis album is really interesting. Luke has managed to make some different sound work really well. Yes, it is not traditional country, but he is trying new things and has accomplished it very well. Songs like "Razor Blade" and "Kill The Lights" make use of this new sound very well creating awesome tunes. Luke also has his own classic country sound on here with "Fast" "Love It Gone" "To The Moon And Back" "Huntin', Fishin' And Lovin' Every Day" and "Scarecrows". What I really love about Luke is that I can really relate to his music. Hunting and fishing are two things I do very often. Songs like "Move" and "Way Way Back" are classic Bryan songs with a bit of a twist making them definite hits. This whole album, I feel, is much better than Crash My Party.… Full Review »
  2. AnonymousPerson
    Aug 7, 2015
    3
    There is very little good in this album. The opening track features Bryan sounding stiff as a board on this supposed party track, as he singsThere is very little good in this album. The opening track features Bryan sounding stiff as a board on this supposed party track, as he sings over some clunky melody with an admitedly catchy riff at the end of the chorus. Next, the title track, a boring and not at all memorable song in spite of its decent melody. Strip It Down moves to R&B, and he sounds his best here, but the song is just boring and the title's metaphor of carpentry doesn't work when it doesn't seem that there's a foundational issue that needs to be fixed. The metaphor of stripping down your sound also doesn't work because it's not stripped down much at all. Next, we have Home Alone Tonight, easily my least favorite track with some boring beat and awful lyrics, not in construction but in context. The next tracks are essentially boring filler, except for "Fast", which is decent. The other great song is "To The Moon And Back", a perfect wedding song. The final two tracks are decent, albeit "Scarecrows" is very clearly the same as "Dirt Road Diary" from his previous album. This is not a great album, but it has its good. However, when it fails, it unfortunately fails terribly. Bryan doesn't push his vocals too often, the production is a wall of noise on some songs, and the lyrics are unfortunately the same tired out lyrics that've been in nearly every song on the radio today.

    CHECK OUT: "To The Moon And Back", "Fast"
    AVOID: "Kick The Dust Up", "Home Alone Tonight"

    BUY? it depends. If you like bro-country, then this is for you. If not, there's still a good portion of songs here, but nothing spectacular in store. If you're a traditionalist, there's not much for you.    … Full Review »
  3. luckythisway
    Sep 1, 2015
    0
    I have no idea what happened to country music. Luke Bryan is one of the worst acts I've ever heard in a long time. He's making country basicI have no idea what happened to country music. Luke Bryan is one of the worst acts I've ever heard in a long time. He's making country basic pop music. Terrible. Where's Carrie and Gretchen Wilson when you need them?… Full Review »
See all user reviews »