Rubberband

Although he’s one of the most promising country newcomers in recent memory, singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Charlie Worsham is hardly the new kid in Nashville. The Mississippi native was a Junior National Banjo Competition champion, played the Grand Ole Opry when he was 12, and has taken the stage alongside Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, Eric Church, and Dierks Bentley. Skillfully blending touches of bluegrass with boot-stomping, radio-friendly contemporary country (like the gorgeously harmonized hook and swelling chorus of “Could It Be”), Worsham’s debut full-length album offers one well-crafted, skillfully executed single after the next. (Check out “Trouble Is,” “Mississippi in July,” “Young to See.”) Though his consistency and crack musicianship make the album an impressive introduction, when Worsham offers a heartfelt ballad like “How I Learned to Pray,” it’s the most striking insight into his subtle gifts as a songwriter.