Jon Pardi, ‘Up All Night’

Jon Pardi tosses a pinch of Bakersfield sound into his brand of country music. It came through more clearly on his debut single 'Missin' You Crazy,' but the follow-up, 'Up All Night,' still relies on a heavy guitar lick and Pardi's Dwight Yoakam-influenced singing style.

The mid-tempo, late-night love song is more romantic than one thinks upon first listen. That's because the arrangement doesn't quite match the mood of Pardi's gesture. "And I been a-thinkin' / 'Bout breakin' in the weekend / Not doin' any sleepin' / So get in, let's take a ride," he sings to close the first verse over a descending guitar line that gets a little tedious by song's end.

George Strait and Tim McGraw have released similar songs in the past year, leaving Pardi's unique vocal delivery as the most distinguishing element. The chorus is catchy and well-written, but it stops short of becoming a moment to repeat again and again:

"And baby let's go, take a dirt road / Kick it back, find a good song on the radio / 'Til we get lost in a sunset falling / Lay a blanket by the creek / Where the moon peeks over that sycamore tree / And there won't be anyone watching / No one watching / Now there ain't nothing wrong, baby, you and I / Gettin' down to some up all night."

'Up All Night' is good, but not great. Much like 'Missin' You Crazy.' it's a song that likely sounds best live; the recorded version almost finds the singer constricted or holding back.

Listen to Jon Pardi, 'Up All Night'