Today's country music is a lot like store-bought apple pie. There's no denying it's sweet, and hits the spot when you're craving pie. Yet, all of them bleed together and you end up growing bored of it quickly. But when you bite into a slice of homemade apple pie, you are shocked by the upgrade in flavor. Rhett Walker, a CCM mainstay from the late 2000s, has provided the listening world with an attempt to share a homemade apple pie in a world of store-bought carbon copies. The question is this: Is Days That We Dreamed Of a bite of something new, or the same old-same old?

Opening track "Somebody Say Amen" gets off to a decidedly upbeat but generic start. Taking cues from modern Country star Thomas Rhett (ironically), it blends all of the good of CCM and Country with all of the bad. Hooky melodies, anthemic singability, but loads of reused and unimaginative lyrics. From there, Walker pumps the brakes quickly with "87 Chevy" and the title track. Although the pacing is jarring, the lyrics and cozy modern-country flare of these tracks are simply excellent. From original metaphors to reminiscing thoughts about what he and his wife imagined for their lives, this is country music at its finest and most compelling. And that's not even mentioning Walker's raspy, heartfelt voice that brings you fully into his heart as he ponders through song.

A third-straight ballad, "Where I Could Have Been," is nothing new for CCM, but it's decent. However, this is where the pacing comes into question yet again. A high-energy song to start followed by three ballads is difficult to build consistent energy. Thankfully, "Young Love" brings back the energy and laces the melody with solid electric guitars. Walker's joy of watching his marriage with his wife grow takes center stage, and will give even the coldest heart a little warmth.

Next up is arguably the best song on the album in "Man on the Middle Cross." This song was inspired by Alistair Begg's famous sermon on the perspective of the thief on the cross as he gets into Heaven, with him telling the head angel, "The man on the middle cross (Jesus) said I could come." Walker's utilization of this theme is nothing short of spectacular, and he invites us all to think of ourselves as the "one on the left full of guilt and regret" or "one on the right always lookin' for a fight," with the end being, "Thank God for the Man on the middle cross."

Unfortunately, the back half of the album starts to falter. Walker leans into CCM worship territory with "Look What God Can Do" and the underwhelming closer, "Gave It All." They're just not at the level we know he is capable of, and they are easily skippable. "Lost and Found" and "Live It" keep the creative juices (lyrically and musically) flowing, all while keeping himself squarely in the Country bubble. The latter two are examples of writing well in a tired genre, and Walker should be commended for them.

Altogether, Days That We Dreamed Of is a rather frustrating album to review as a whole. As a cohesive project, the themes are pretty consistent and poignant. But in terms of pacing and several easily skippable tracks, it could use definite improvement. Walker's contemplative style, especially in "Middle Cross," "Days That We Dreamed Of," and "Lost and Found," are something special, while "Someone Say Amen" and "Look What God Can Do" are a clear miss. So, to answer the question of store-bought or homemade, it's fair that Days... is a sampling of both types. Some of the homemade bites are delectable, which make the store-bought ones all the more disappointing.

- Review date: 8/6/24, written by Josh Egan of Jesusfreakhideout.com