Riley Green’s ‘That’s Just Me’ Proves 19 Tracks Can Tell One Story
Review by Lauren Page | @LiveWithLP
Everyone knows Riley Green. From the hits and high-profile collaborations to the stage presence that has made him one of country music’s biggest touring names, Green has spent the past few years steadily cementing his place at the forefront of the genre. What perhaps nobody expected, though, was a sprawling 19-track album arriving in September.
At 69 minutes long, That’s Just Me initially feels ambitious - perhaps even overly so. But after spending time with the record, that concern quickly disappears. Instead, Riley has delivered what feels like his most personal and complete body of work to date.
There is also something impressive about the circumstances surrounding it. Green has written and recorded a substantial album while navigating one of the biggest touring periods of his career, yet That’s Just Me never feels rushed or padded out for the sake of reaching 19 tracks. There is a clear sense of direction running through it.
Opening with This Is Me with My Way, Green immediately sets the tone. It is heartfelt and reflective, looking back on a relationship with the kind of lyrical honesty that has always suited him best. Green's strongest songs tend to be the ones that leave you sitting with a line long after it has finished, and that quality is present from the opening minutes.
Then comes That’s Just Me, and this was the moment the structure of the album really clicked for me. There is a deliberate musical familiarity between the opening tracks that makes them feel connected rather than isolated. This isn't simply a collection of 19 Riley Green songs; there is a thread running through the record, with one chapter seemingly handing over to the next.
That approach continues throughout, while still leaving plenty of room for the familiar Riley Green charm.
Don’t Come Any Closer was an immediate personal favourite. There are shades of Change My Mind in its sound, and it feels tailor-made for the fans who gravitate towards that side of Green's catalogue. It is one of several moments where the album feels instantly recognisable without simply rehashing old ground.
One of the biggest strengths of That’s Just Me is the calibre and variety of its collaborations. Hannah McFarland joins Green on Go Again, following time on the road together, while Jake Worthington appears on Well Well Whiskey and Randy Owen features on Lookout Mountain.
Then there is Brooks & Dunn.
Pave All Them Red Dirt Roads brings Green together with one of country music's most iconic duos, complete with a clever nod to their own musical history. It is the kind of collaboration that could easily rely on the names involved, but instead feels genuinely at home within the album.
Despite being one of Green's more personal records, That’s Just Me isn't relentlessly serious. In fact, some of its most enjoyable stretches come when he loosens the reins.
Got That From You, Bartender in Destin and Beach Happy bring a lighter energy to the middle of the record, creating a run that feels playful and easy-going without disrupting the wider story. It gives the album breathing room before things begin to shift again.
Previously released Think As You Drunk has already found an audience with fans, but within the full tracklist its positioning makes even more sense. The album begins in reflective territory, moves into something more tongue-in-cheek and carefree, before eventually developing a harder edge.
By the time P.O.S. and Runs In The Family arrive, Green has turned up the guitars and the attitude. Both immediately feel built for the live show, and if they make their way onto the setlist when Green returns to the UK, they could easily become two of the biggest moments of the night.
But the album doesn't stay there.
As Seven Second Ride arrives, the pace begins to settle and the songwriting moves back towards the introspection that defined the beginning of the record. From there, Radio Road, Ol’ Stray Dog and More Of A Man Than Me deliver some of the album's most affecting moments.
There is one thing that has become increasingly difficult to deny about Riley Green: he knows how to tell a story.
Country music has always thrived on turning ordinary experiences, relationships and regrets into something universal, and More Of A Man Than Me might be the finest example of that on this record. It stopped me in my tracks on first listen and remains one of my biggest takeaways from the album. By this point, you aren't simply listening to individual songs - you're trying to piece together the experiences behind them.
Then comes Ten Pairs of Boots.
Initially, its slower pace caught me off guard as a closing track. But the more I listened, the more obvious the choice became. It feels like a final reflection: Green looking backwards after spending an entire album showing us different versions of himself.
Rather than ending with the biggest chorus or loudest production, he closes by returning to storytelling.
That leads to the most important advice I can give anyone listening to That’s Just Me: do not put this album on shuffle. The sequencing matters.
This is a record that works best from beginning to end. It moves through reflection, romance, humour, harder-edged country and back towards something more vulnerable. By the final track, there is a sense that Green has taken the listener through a timeline rather than simply handed them a playlist.
I went into That’s Just Me wondering whether 19 songs and 69 minutes of music might simply be too much. I finished it understanding why he needed the space.
There are fun songs destined for summer playlists, collaborations built for country fans to obsess over and tracks that already sound ready for arenas. But underneath all of that sits some of Green's most open and compelling storytelling yet.
For an artist experiencing one of the biggest periods of his career, That’s Just Me doesn't sound like someone playing it safe. It sounds like Riley Green taking everything people already love about his music - the wit, traditional country influences, storytelling and unmistakable personality - and allowing us further into his world.
Nineteen tracks suddenly doesn't feel excessive, it feels necessary.
That’s Just Me by Riley Green is out now