Album Review: Hunter Hayes’ ‘The 21 Project’

Have you ever listened to a record and thought ‘I wonder what this song would sound like in another setting?’ Say, for instance, you thought a song might translate well to an acoustic mix – or a song might go over like gangbusters live in concert?

Well, for Hunter Hayes’ latest project, one doesn’t have to wonder about that at all. For each of the seven tracks on The 21 Project, Hayes gives fans three different versions – an acoustic mix, the regular studio master, and a live cut.

It’s a novel approach, and one that works very well. It’s interesting to note how different the songs sound in their respective incarnations. Take “The Trouble With Love,” for instance, in the studio version, it sounds right down the alley of what Country Radio is playing these days, but in the acoustic version, it’s one of his most traditional sounding performances. Either way, the song, however it is performed, is a winner.

Hayes might very well serve up a couple of his biggest hits here. “I Mean You,” especially in the acoustic presentation, sounds like it is one of those songs that is tailor made for spring. If it’s not a single at that point on the airwaves, I will be very surprised. The lyrics are positive and upbeat, and the melody is as dreamy as Davy Jones was in the eyes of Marcia Brady. Simply saying, it’s a hit – pure and simple.

Another track from the project that could very well find favor with his audience is “Where It All Began,” which, on the studio mix, Hayes knocks out of the ballpark. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this get a look from Pop radio as well. It’s that good.

Kudos to Hayes and Warner Brothers for thinking outside the box and doing something a little bit different. While this might not have worked as well with a full-length album, the fact that it’s a seven-song EP lends itself really well to the idea. It shows three different sides of an artist who has developed a reputation as one of the best in the business!