Ignite the Night

Chase Rice isn’t one to waste time. From the first seconds of his third full-length, Ignite the Night, the rising country star offers an opening single with a chorus that's both a philosophy and a cool blast of wind through your hair: “Ready, set, let’s roll.” From there, Rice uncorks a flood of good times and soft summer nights, like those found in the cotton-candied twang of “Beach Town,” the midnight mischief of “Do It Like This,” and the zest for life that fuels “Ready Set Roll.” Though he knows his way around both pop hooks and hijinks—he cowrote Florida Georgia Line’s 2012 single “Cruise”—Rice can also show vulnerability and tenderness. On the contemplative piano ballad “Jack Daniels and Jesus,” the former college football player takes an honest look at himself. He also does so on “Look at My Truck,” a soulful standout that finds Rice drawing parallels between himself and his longtime “best friend”—dents and all.