Review: ‘Midtown Diaries’ – Mitchell Tenpenny

Mitchell Tenpenny’s gritty and powerful vocals ring out on this record. He’s the next big thing in country-rock, he’s the full package, the vocals, the songwriting and production is high end.

The record starts with the high energy, arena-ready To Us It Did, the electric guitars ramp up the adrenaline. Tenpenny then shows his more vulnerable side on Good Thing which has a lovely sentiment behind it whilst melodically it has a simple hook that’s easy to hold onto; with a slightly different production it’s the kind of melody that could be taken on by someone like Westlife and crossover seamlessly into the mainstream.

The single, Truth About You, is a centrepiece of the album, it’s easy to see why it garnered 2.5 million streams in its first three days of release. It is clearly the most suited to country radio but it boasts clever lyrics and a good hook. Tenpenny’s vocals soar towards the end, as he belts out the final chorus and the emotion floods into his voice.

The eight song collection announces Tenpenny as the next big thing of the genre, it actually has me itching to see what Tenpenny has to offer in a live setting.