Josh Thompson made a solid debut in 2010 with Way Out Here, an album that had a little bit of rock in its honky-tonk. At times, he recalled the criminally underrated Trent Tomlinson (always a plus in my book), also with traces of David Lee Murphy's meat-and-potatoes country-rock. Having moved from Columbia to sister label RCA in 2011, Thompson is ready to begin that all-important step known as the "sophomore album."

And I say that a sophomore jinx won't happen, as "Comin' Around" is his best single yet. The production is mostly acoustic — banjo and steel are present, even though electric guitar is too — and the lyrics are some of his best. The clever opening "It was like nails on a chalkboard when Daddy played his kind of music / If you'd have asked me then, I'd have said it was borderline abusive" paints a relatable picture, which is furthered by the next line about leaving town after graduation and claiming that he will never come back. Of course, he does. He doesn't seem to have everything 100% straightened out yet, but as the hook says, he's "comin' around." And I sure believe him.

Lately I've noticed that a lot of acts who have modest performance from a first album do far better on the second one. Witness Eli Young Band and David Nail finally scoring number ones with the lead-offs to their respective second albums. I don't know if "Comin' Around" will go the distance (although, given RCA's knack for sending all of Chris Young's songs to the summit, I wouldn't doubt it), but I at least expect it to outperform "Beer on the Table."

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