Album Review: Tebey, The Good Ones

If aliens landed on Earth and, after some initial pleasantries and a selfie or two, said, “This country music we have heard of… what is that?” you couldn’t offer a more illustrative example than The Good Ones by noted Canuck songwriter Tebey. 

Which is to say The Good Ones — an amalgam of previously released singles and new stuff — is thick with twang and tropes but also gives a clear-eyed, unfussy Stetson-tip to the hayseed nation in all its glory and sorrow. In other words, it’s something your grandpa would recognize as country music, so it’s conventional yes, but there are gems to be unearthed.

Despite some eye-rolling imagery, the obscenely catchy “Shotgun Rider” wins with its aw-shucks sincerity and Tebey’s warmly conversational voice. “Song of the Summer” could be just that: a bright, crisp, sun-dappled scorcher propelled by a caffeinated chorus. The title track, a warm, rain-splattered duet with Quebec star Marie Mai, is notable both for its lovely blend of voices and its laudable intention to lacquer a breakup in fond reminiscence rather than recrimination.

Already a smash with the faithful, “Happened on a Saturday Night” is a full sensory onslaught which sounds hedonistic, feels weightless, and practically reeks of Wiser’s. Tebey may not explore the dark and dusty corners of the genre but he nets everything he shoots. The Boov would approve.

The Good Ones was released January 22, 2021 via Jayward Artist Group/ The Orchard/ Sony Music Canada.
Listen to it here.