With
That's Life,
Neal McCoy delivers a sharply crafted record that, while sonically a textbook example of mainstream Nashville country, lyrically serves as a vivid reflection of the everyday lives of his listeners. "Last of a Dying Breed" is a catalog of colorful rural characters, including "overall wearers" and "VFW Hall dwellers," while "Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On" describes a familiar but friendly drunk who insists on singing every word of
Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird" despite his tone deafness. Aside from the homespun imagery, though,
That's Life is a polished album full of rolling
Bruce Hornsby-like piano licks and big, heartland rock guitar sounds. With feet firmly planted in two country camps, this album should find a home everywhere from honky tonks to iPods.