[on “My Boy”] “This tender take on raising a stepchild first went viral via social media, before “My Boy” became Shane’s first No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay hit this year. Shane’s rough-hewn vocal delivery offers a nice contrast to these lyrical vignettes of moments that solidified his relationship with his stepson, like the first time he was called “Dad” and sharing Saturday morning cartoons. “I wasn’t there for his first steps/ But I ain’t missed a ball game yet,” Shane sings, before reaching the deadpan hook, “He ain’t my blood/ But he’s my boy.” Shane penned the track, found on his full-length debut Backslider, with Lee Starr, Nick Columbia and Russell Sutton. — J.N.” [Billboard]
[on Backslider] “…his major label full-length album Backslider displays the broader spectrum of Shane’s artistry as both a singer and songwriter (he’s a contributor to the majority of the album’s 15 tracks). The October-released album follows his earlier EP County Roads and is packed with songs of sin and redemption (“I Will Run,” “Saturday Night Me”), odes to southern living (“Sundays in the South”) and stinging self-assessments (“Miles”). Frequently, Shane’s vocals take on a fire-and-brimstone intensity, riding atop his hell-raising brand of country-rock and tempered with vulnerability, making this one of the most promising country music debuts of the year. — J.N.” [Billboard]
