Not surprisingly, the disco-country romp of "Honey, I'm Good" pigeonholed
Andy Grammer as a novelty act, but much of the rest of its accompanying 2014 album,
Magazines or Novels, showcased an adult alternative singer/songwriter who favored pop anthems and atmospheric chillout -- a vibe reminiscent of
John Mayer as produced by
Ryan Tedder. With a global smash under his belt,
Grammer decided to capitalize on these moodier, mature aspects on
The Good Parts, his long-awaited 2017 successor to
Magazines or Novels. The first two thirds of
The Good Parts crawl by, sometimes working up a little bit of soulful simmer but usually maintaining a meditative midtempo that's all the better to indicate that
Grammer isn't a goofball. Occasionally, this music can sound like
Maroon 5 -- particularly on "Spaceship" -- but
Adam Levine never obsessed over entering his thirties the way that
Grammer does. He returns to this topic over and over, finally cutting loose on the absurd "Grown Ass Man Child," a bit of silly funk that arrives too late to save a drowning album. By the time "Grown Ass Man Child" appears in the final third of
The Good Parts, the album has grown stultifying and stuffy, a record that intends to be introspective but merely sounds sleepy -- a perhaps inevitable result of a one-hit wonder intent on proving his artistry. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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![Stranger Songs [2 Bonus Tracks] [B&N Exclusive]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0193483777054_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Stranger Songs [2 Bonus Tracks] [B&N Exclusive]")
