Jobie Reviews Music 155: The State Songs, Vol. Four (album) by Rick Pickren. Requested by F63.

The State Songs, Vol. Four is a 2013 country album by Rick Pickren. It is 13 tracks long, spanning 32 minutes and 6 seconds of music. It is the fourth and final volume in a series of albums that contain covers of each United States state song. Pickren once again makes use of his signature sound to enhance these patriotic tunes, with the choice of deploying a folkier country music style retaining each song’s classic roots.

The quality of the album’s music follows in the footsteps of the previous three volumes in the The State Songs series, with good instrumentation and vocals encompassing every track on the album. Pickren’s formula for covering these patriotic tunes breathes new life into these decades old tunes, while still keeping true to their roots. There are really no bad tracks on this album, as every track was clearly made with utmost care and musicianship.

In comparison to The State Songs Vol. 2 and The State Songs Volume Three, this track contains a higher volume of upbeat patriotic melodies (as opposed to those two album’s more relaxed “homey feel good” tunes), which lends itself to the compositions themselves, not Pickren. Still, the higher concentration of upbeat, feel good tracks is a welcome change up from the previous two albums.

By far the most unique track among the 13 tracks contained within the album is the track “I Love New York”. Unlike the other 12 tracks on the album, the track’s sound features less of a focus on Pickren’s usual country style and instead deplores a sound that’s very different from anything Pickren has delivered on any of the previous four volumes. This welcome dosage of variety makes an already great album even better, proving Pickren can branch out into differing musical styles if he wanted to.

My favorite tracks from this album are “The Old North State”, “I Love You, California”, “State of Maine Song”, and “Beautiful Nebraska”.

Overall, The State Songs, Vol. Four is a great way to end an amazing four volume series. The covers contained within the album are some of the best covers out there, building on the originals while adding Pickren’s unique flair. With good instrumentation and good vocals being present throughout the entire album, the album is another example of how talented Rick Pickren truly is.

Overall rating:

9.5/10

LINK TO ALBUM:

https://open.spotify.com/album/1ptkR83pQcYB4yUBpOXVWC