Converting the Skeptics: Luke Combs

King Combs, everybody.

Welcome back to Don’t Rock the Inbox! This is the another iteration of one of our new schemes: Instead of having new (and some old) country round-ups for paying subscribers every Friday, we’re shaking things up — including with some themed, curated guides coupled with a playlist. Subscribe to get access, and listen along! And catch up on some of our most recent guides, on Midland, Sam Hunt, Reba, Eric Church and Kip Moore.

Today, we’re talking the best of the Luke’s: Luke Combs.

If you spend time on this website, you know that we have very affectionate feelings for Combs - a.k.a King Combs. He’s an earnest guy and a great performer, and exists in his own niche away from the bro churn - without straying too far from what makes it all fun to begin with. Natalie and I have both spent a good deal of time with him for various stories (now that I think about it, we both wrote Billboard cover stories on him, Natalie’s here, and mine here that I think serve as nice bookends on the last few years of his career, tooting our owns and all) and I loved how she sums him up by writing “you can always count on Luke Combs, and that is basically his brand.” He’s an everyman in a way that doesn’t feel like a fabricated pile of bullshit, and that’s rare. I did, however, get into a friendly argument with him on his tour bus in Texas about whether or not a hotdog is a sandwich, and, let me tell you, that man is on the wrong side of history about this particular issue. But I can get past it.

Still, because his first name is “Luke,” some of my non-country listenin’ friends still aren’t convinced. We think you’re missing out, and here’s why. - MM

“When It Rains It Pours”: This song is like….gateway bro country, almost? Except it arrived at the tail end of that particular subgenre’s reign. It’s got the addictive, sing-a-long quality without an onslaught of heavy production; song structure is just unconventional enough to be interesting and it’s full of vivid imagery. “Got the last spot in the Hooters parking lot” — Combs has the aw shucks energy to sell those kind of lines lol. — NW