Mitchell Tenpenny changes his tune somewhat on
Midtown Diaries, the mini-LP he delivered as a sequel to his major-label debut,
Telling All My Secrets. Back in 2018, he was besotted with alcohol; in 2021, he's all about matters of the heart. He sings about love won and love lost, the good times and the bad, all set to shiny R&B-inspired grooves that ping-pong between slow-burners to the country-disco of "A Girl's Love." The slight husky quality of
Tenpenny's voice gives the music a hint of grit, a quality he pushes a bit ham-fistedly on "She Hates Me Too," a heartbreak song filled with unnecessary profanity. Nevertheless, "She Hates Me Too" along with its companion "Don't Let Me Let You" both showcase how
Tenpenny is nimble enough to deliver a rapid-fire verbal cadence without losing sight of how he's singing love songs, and that's a nice evolution in terms of style: he's singing old-fashioned love songs in a modern way, and that's what gives
Midtown Diaries its heart. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine