Sam Hunt released the "acoustic mixtape" -- not quite a demo, not quite a party; it's a term borrowed from hip-hop and spun into the realm of country --
Between the Pines in 2013, issuing it as a free download on his website. It helped set up his 2014 debut
Montevallo and, a year after the release of that album, Warner did a full digital reissue of
Between the Pines, shuffling the sequencing and adding three new songs. Noteworthy are covers of
Keith Urban's "Cop Car" and
Kenny Chesney's "Come Over," songs that underscore
Hunt's mainstream influences, but what's most interesting about this "acoustic mixtape" is how, even without the shiny veneer of
Shane McAnally's studio production,
Hunt's lithe soul and hip-hop influences are evident, both in the drum loops and his fleet cadences. That's what makes
Between the Pines worth a listen for
Hunt fans who don't number themselves among his hardcore. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine