Uncle Kracker has been singing the virtues of life's simple pleasures since the mid-2000s, and his new single 'Blue Skies' falls obediently in line. It's a feel-good, mid-tempo, country-rock song that, despite its similarity to everything else he's released to country radio over the last half-decade, feels pretty dang good.

Kracker's raspy, cigarette-burned voice immediately allows him to seem like one of the guys. There's no star halo over his head. His accessibility makes his easy to root for. Also, who doesn't like a feel-good song, even if it's been done thousands of times before?

"Six-pack down behind my seat / One hand up on the wheel / 'Eat a Peach' playin' on repeat / Got my baby at my side / Her hair whippin' all in the wind / The last time I felt this good / I can't remember when," the Michigan native sings during the first verse. The thin trace of an organ adds depth to an otherwise straight-forward arrangement.

The second verse doesn't up the ante, but his chorus is easy to sing along with: "Listen to the Goodyears roll / Hummin' through the radio / Let it lighten up your load / Ain't got no place to go / Watching those fence poles fly / As the miles roll by / Nothin' but blue skies / Hangin' over you and I."

Uncle Kracker is an artist who always sounds good on the radio, but it's doubtful songs in this mold are ever going to be the best of all time. Being the "feel-good guy" isn't the worst pigeonhole. After all, who doesn't want to be around someone who always makes you 'Smile' (pun partially intended)?

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Listen to Uncle Kracker, 'Blue Skies'

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