Luke Bryan, ‘That’s My Kind of Night’

Luke Bryan's new single 'That's My Kind of Night' promises to be his most controversial release to date. The singer goes all-in on the country-rap style that -- despite loud objections from traditionalists -- is covering the radio like kudzu. He sounds both horribly out of place and right at home.

Lyrically, the trio of songwriters have put together a story that relies on every imaginable hip-hop and country cliche. Big tires, a feel-good bottle of booze, corn rows (on a farm, not a human head), superstar name checks, love under the moonlight and bling ... there's hardly an original thought in this song. Most aren't even original to Bryan's catalog.

The chorus goes: "All them other boys wanna wind you up and take you downtown / But you look like the kind that likes to take it way out / Out where the corn rows grow, row, row my boat / Floatin’ down the Flint River, catch us up a little catfish dinner / Gonna sound like a winner, winner when I lay you down and love you right / Yeah, that’s my kind of night."

(Note to communities along Georgia's Flint River: boost your tourism budget, because after this third name check in a country single since 2008, things are about to get real.)

There is something wonderfully charming about Bryan's performance, however, and despite one ill-advised "uh-uh" early in the intro, the production comes across as corny-cool. Bryan makes a living with corny-cool. "Might sit down on my diamond plate tailgate / Put in my country ride hip-hop mixtape / Little Conway, a little T-Pain, might just make it rain," he sings in the second verse, before the clothes start coming off.

"You can hang your t-shirt on a limb / Hit that bank and we can ease on in / Soak us up a little moonlight / You know I know what you like, yeah."

'That's My Kind of Night' is an eye-roller from start to finish, but Bryan's absolute commitment makes it tolerable, if not enjoyable in the right setting. So far, only Brantley Gilbert has been able to pen a hip-hop-influenced single that finds that sweet spot between the two genres. With the right song down the road, Bryan could give the mixup a real chance to thrive on country radio.