Jana Kramer released this Friday her sophomore album, thirty one, her second release since her self-titled debut in 2012.
“thirty one was the perfect title because it’s taken me 31 years to live and write this album, and I believe it shows strength, grace, vulnerability, fun and confidence,” Kramer says. “thirty one is who and what I am, and I think when my fans listen to the album they will discover so much more about me.”
The album ranges from catchy uptempo tracks to thoughtful ballads, anchored in Kramer’s current single, “I Got The Boy.” The song, written by Jamie Lynn Spears, Connie Harrington, and Tim Nichols, is one of the strongest on the album, a conceptually cool look at the way the singer’s former love has grown from the boy she dated into a man with another woman. “I got the boy, she got the man,” Kramer sings on the hook. It’s a delivery filled with passion and conviction, and pairs well with songs like “Last Song,” an equally heartfelt ballad. “This is the last song / I’m ever gonna sing about you / The last time I write I can’t live without you / Come on melody, set me free / I have to move on / Yeah you’re gone / So this is the last song,” Kramer implores.
Where “Last Song” is more pensive, “Bullet,” much along the same lines, is explosive, a rocking ode to the fortunate calling-off of an engagement. Steven Tyler joins her on the track, belting harmony as they reach for highs in the hook, “No empty shells on the ground and you’re nowhere to be found /
Cause once the trigger is pulled, it’s impossible to dodge a bullet.” “Boomerang” too sees the singer say goodbye to an old love, professing she’s “anything but a boomerang.”
Heartbreak is a common theme on thirty one. “Never thought that I’d find myself lost in this place / Caught in a storm and my broken heart just can’t escape / I close my eyes, and soak it in / And as I cry I set these tears free in the wind / And dance in the rain,” Kramer begins “Dance In The Rain.” Kramer shines brightest on the retrospective mid-tempo, from this and her current single to the songs with which she earned her success, “Whiskey” and “Why Ya Wanna.”
While thirty one has seen the singer through her share of heartache, it’s not all storm clouds on the eleven-track LP. “Love,” which Kramer released as a single in 2014, chronicles a reigning belief in the magic of falling in love and the mystical moments that accompany it. “I still believe in shooting stars / I still believe in midnight drives,” she sings. “Love, how many times can a heart break / Love, how much weight can a soul take / Love, I don’t know where you ran off to / But love, love love, I still believe in you.” It’s as much a letter to a former paramour, revoking an imposed abandonment, as it is an open-arms welcoming of the bad with the good, and balances nicely on the line of jadedness and wisdom.
thirty one could easily serve to represent the singer’s increased maturity. However, Kramer showcases her lighter side as well, at times feeling decidedly more juvenile than her debut release. “Said No One Ever,” a sassy set of sarcastic assertions, feels witty at times and awkward at others, somewhat missing the intended carefree mark. “Pop That Bottle,” which sounds like a female-driven Cole Swindell song, fits in a little too easily with bro-country trends of a year ago, a little too blandly to click. “Don’t Touch My Radio” is and fun but largely forgettable, leaning on innuendo in the chorus (“you can put your hand on my knee … but baby here’s the deal, don’t touch my radio”) that could’ve stood for a more suave re-write. Kramer’s been tongue-in-cheek before, with songs such as “One of the Boys,” but it feels less genuine on thirty one, especially when juxtaposed with standouts like “I Got The Boy.”
thirty one is available on iTunes, or for streaming below.
Highlights: “I Got The Boy,” “Love,” “Circles”
Rating: 3/5