It's easy to heap praise on Easton Corbin's sophomore album for the same reasons fans and critics enjoyed his self-titled debut. 'All Over the Road' -- available in stores and at digital retailers now --is full of traditional country music that goes down like a spoonful of George Strait's sugar. However, Corbin misses an opportunity to identify himself with this 11-song project. 

'All Over the Road' is a collection of songs, as opposed to a cohesive artistic expression. While Corbin sounds less like Strait than he did on the 2010 record, he lacks a signature of his own. There will be radio hits, but there are no moments you'll want to come back to in six months or year just to live that feeling again.

The self-penned 'Are You With Me' may be the strongest moment on the album. It's a facts of life love song that's easy to slip into. Only one song ('I Think of You') carries a message of any weight, but 'Are You With Me' is especially accessible.

"Old trucks rattle down gravel roads / Rivers wind and the north wind blows / Rain drops fall on an old tin roof / And girl I got a thing for you," Corbin sings.

Eight of the 11 songs on 'All Over the Road' are about love, with the others being about the end of love. In general, Corbin doesn't do heartbreak as well as he does easy-breezy romance, but 'That's Gonna Leave a Memory' is a humorous exception. "You never wear a short dress to say goodbye," he sings to a girl who's looking way too good to break up with him.

The peppy 'This Feels a Lot Like Love' and the heavy 'Are You With Me' are two other highlights. The latter is supported by strong verse, as Corbin's chorus is uninspired. "We can chase the wild dreams / Live like crazy / Love me baby / Come on, come on, come on / Just throw your arms around me / We can run like we won't run out of time."

One longs for varied experiences from Corbin, a singer who has yet to dig deep into his personal troubles to delivery a knockout punch that can't be ignored. It could be that he's lived a pretty easy life thus far, and that'd be fine to rely upon. But 'All Over the Road' begs for some unique pain or pleasure to build around.

3 Stars
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