Album Review: Aaron Goodvin, Lucky Stars

After releasing two well-received albums, Canadian country singer Aaron Goodvin was chomping at the bit to hit the road while penning some keepers. And while the touring aspect went pear-shaped with you know what, the material he wrote sounds like it has and will continue to age extremely well.

The seven songs here won't diminish Goodvin's status as a brimming, bona fide country star. "Boy Like Me" doesn't dazzle initially but the chorus becomes ear candy instantly. Meanwhile "You Ain't" is another well-produced tune that straddles the country-pop border fairly easily.

You won't find much old-school honky tonk throughout the effort, but Goodvin packs a lot of punch in the tracks, especially the slow-building title track with some subtle '80s era synth touches thrown in. But the centerpiece is actually the centerpiece with "About Mexico" with its simple back beat, harmonies and instrumentation that stretches into a gorgeous, sprawling six minutes.  

Goodvin might have short-changed himself a bit as the second half seems stronger than the first. "People Talk" is a soulful ballad that'll have people talking. This EP concludes with "Why Not Us" which sounds ready to start an encore when he hits the road again. A fine collection!

Lucky Stars was released October 22, 2021 by Warner Music Canada.
Listen to it here