[NEW RELEASES] ERIC CHURCH

ERIC CHURCH, “The Outsiders”, Label: EMI Nashville, Genre: Country

Eric Church is developing two personalities that seem to wrestle each other in a glorious battle royale on his fourth and best album, “The Outsiders.”

There’s that guy Chief, with the hat and sunglasses and the love of rock ’n’ roll, whiskey, stubborn streaks and fistfights. And then there’s the version of Church who wins (or loses) the girl, stirs moments of universal reverie and tickles the funny bone with program director-wooing hits that appeal to country music’s bedrock fan base.

Don’t like the heavy rock riffs and leather jacket-clad message of the Black Sabbath-leaning title song? Well, there’s the tear-jerker ballad “A Man Who Was Gonna Die Young.”

Tired of the paint-by-numbers party songs that flood radio? His answer is “Cold One,” which offers a twist on a tired theme. Need a couples song for you and your new country gal? Try “Talladega,” which somehow turns auto racing into an epic love poem. “Give Me Back My Hometown” is straight up nostalgia.

“The Outsiders” is the rare album that invites debate, and asks us to take sides. In this case, pick freely. You can’t lose.

AP