Forget 2021… or even 2020 for that matter. The best new country album released in a long time is Morgan Wallen‘s Dangerous.

The longer you listen to Dangerous: The Double Album, the more you realize that the former Voice contestant is more than just another hit-seeking Nashville shot-in-the-dark. Track after track prove that Wallen is an authentic force to be reckoned with, a talent we’ve been waiting to appear — one whose simple yet dynamic songs give voice to an increasingly culturally-diminished segment of society… those who actually love country music and the values that the genre used to regularly embody.

Wallen’s husky voice proves to be one of the strongest around, whether emoting a ballad or firing off an up-tempo. His “I-live-what-I sing” talent brings to life the kind of songs that turn into clichés when delivered by so many others. To listen to Dangerous: The Double Album is to enter a raucous world where Morgan Wallen guides you through the rowdy and the romantic, the partying and the pathos. It’s a complete experience.

Lucky for us, it’s a 30-song collection. Highlights include “Still Goin’ Down,” “Cover Me Up,” “865,” and “Country A $ $ Shit.” While several of the topics covered on the album aren’t really that dangerous (several are fairly well-worn) the guy bringing them to life is — especially to those artists who’ve been topping the charts and made careers out of just pretending to be country.