All In

by Chris Janson

Overview

All In almost feels like a response record to Real Friends, the bright, shiny album Chris Janson released in 2019. Where Real Friends was breezy and polished, All In sounds lean and sinewy, an album teeming with guitars and big beats. It's a record that bears the distinct influence of Eric Church, the king of smart, muscular mainstream country in 2022, and Church himself drops by to play on "You, Me & the River," a yearning piece of heartland rock that suits Janson's earnest growl quite well. Church also co-writes "Flag on the Wall," an angry coal country anthem that's one of a few songs that attempts to grapple with the mess of this modern world. Janson explicitly plays to both sides of the fence, singing "We all blue and we all red" on "Flag on the Wall," then "I love all kinds of people, both sides on the Mississippi" on "My American World." Listening to these two songs, it's evident that Church's presence muddies the waters in an appealing way: "Flag on the Wall" is gnarled and complicated, "My American World" is trite, ending its chorus with a litany of "really, really, really." Fortunately, "My American World" is the nadir of the album. On the rest of the record, Janson splits the difference between Church's brawn and the rockin' sound of the 1990s, going so far as to invite Travis Tritt and Rhett Akins in for duets. Janson's renewed sense of swagger doesn't prevent him from indulging in either humor ("The Reel Bass Pro") or sentimentality ("Bye Mom"), decisions that help pad the album out to a long 16 songs, but even if All In could use a little tightening, it remains a vigorous, engaging listen. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	04/29/2022
Label:	Warner Music
UPC:	0093624872191

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Chris Janson   Primary Artist,Vocals,Harmonia,Harmonica,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Zach Carringer   Drums
Travis Tritt   Vocals,Featured Artist
Tommy White   Guitar (Steel)
Steve Hinson   Guitar (Steel)
Ben Phillips   Drums
Shannon Forrest   Drums
Jimmie Lee Sloas   Bass,Guitar (Acoustic)
Rhett Akins   Featured Artist,Vocals (Background)
Thomas White   Guitar (Steel)
Paul Sikes   Vocals (Background)
Brandon Kinney   Vocals (Background)
Evan Hutchings   Drums,Percussion
Ilya Toshinskiy   Banjo,Dobro,Mandolin,Keyboards,Guitar (Acoustic)
Dave Cohen   Piano,Synthesizer,Fender Rhodes
Joshua Hedley   Fiddle
Ben Caver   Vocals (Background)
Zach Crowell   Piano,Vocals (Background),Keyboards
Eric Church   Vocals,Featured Artist,Vocals (Background)
Jenee Fleenor   Fiddle
Devin Malone   Dobro,Mandolin,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Tony Lucido   Bass
Ben Philips   Drums
Justin Ostrander   Guitar (Electric)
Sol Littlefield   Guitar (Electric)
Brad Clawson   Bass,Banjo,Drums,Keyboards,Percussion,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Zach Crowell   Programming,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Assistant Producer,Recording
Tommy Cecil   Recording,Programming,Digital Editing,Producer,Producer
Zach Kuhlman   Mixing Assistant
Zach Carringer   Programming
Shane Profitt   Composer
Casey Beathard   Composer
David Lee Murphy   Composer
Ashley Gorley   Composer
Rhett Akins   Composer
Jim Cooley   Mixing,Engineer,Recording
Scott Johnson   Additional Production,Assistant Producer
Brandon Kinney   Composer
John Edwards   Composer
Rhett Atkins   Composer
Chris Stevens   Composer
Kelly Roland   Composer
Buckley Miller   Recording,Engineer
Eric Church   Composer
Andrew Mendelson   Mastering
Rob Pennington   Composer
Marv Green   Composer
Dallas Davidson   Composer
David Frasier   Composer
Ben Hayslip   Composer
Deric Ruttan   Composer
Chris Janson   Composer,Producer,Assistant Producer
Kam Luchterhand   Engineer,Recording
Mitch Oglesby   Composer
Lance Van Dyke   Assistant Engineer,Recording Assistant
Alyson McAnally   Assistant Producer,Additional Production
Brad Clawson   Composer,Producer,Programming
Chris Resovsky   Assistant Engineer,Recording Assistant
Tim Nichols   Composer
Jordan Reed   Assistant Engineer,Recording Assistant
Jimmy Yeary   Composer