Luke Bryan’s Kill the Lights (Capitol Nashville)—a strong contender for #1 on next week’s chart—gives his fans plenty of the radio-ready, feel-good jams his fans expect, with a handful of songs that demonstrate his readiness to stretch out musically. Bryan co-wrote six songs on the album, which was produced by Jeff and Jody Stevens.

He comes out of the box, though, with two out-and-out party jams.

Lead single “Kick the Dust Up,” a Country radio #1 and iTunes monster, has a wide-open rock hook that yields to a banjo riff that apes a hip-hop sample. “We turned this corn field into a party,” Bryan sings...

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