It’s ‘Never Enough’ for Parker McCollum, who will make his debut at the Spokane Arena
Parker McCollum wants it all, and that’s echoed in the title of his latest album, “Never Enough.” The soft-spoken singer-songwriter is open about his unabashed desire to play the biggest venues in the country with fans singing along to his critically acclaimed songs.
“If you can make Luke Bryan money and sing Chris Knight-caliber songs, well, then you got something,” McCollum said, while calling from Austin, Texas.
It’s not a pipe dream for the gifted songsmith, who crafts anthemic rockers and pretty country ballads on his second major label album, which was released in May.
“I believe you have to go for it,” McCollum said. “If you’re going to dream, dream big. I don’t know any other way.”
McCollum, 31, impresses during “Never Enough” with ringing guitars and powerful percussion. Producer Jon Randall (Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley) has a way with muscular country. “Never Enough” captures the sound of a country dude who is a rocker at heart.
The current single “Burn It Down” is an infectious cut, and is keeping the momentum going for McCollum. The album’s lead single, the buoyant “Handle on You” went platinum.
The seeds were planted with McCollum’s prior album, “Gold Chain Cowboy,” which dropped in 2021. The vivid, deep and hook-laden songs enabled McCollum to win the New Male Artist of the Year hardware at the American Country Music Awards in March 2022.
McCollum impressed with some of the finest songs of his eight-year career as a recording artist with “Gold Chain Cowboy.” “Falling Apart” is a catchy love song, which was co-written with platinum-plus recording artist Lambert. “Miranda and I were listening to a lot of 38 Special and I said, ‘Let’s go and rip off 38 Special,’ ” McCollum said.
“Falling Apart,” which has commercial appeal, has the hooks of the poppy 38 Special, but the song has McCollum’s fingerprints all over it. “Why Indiana” is a pure ear candy, paying tribute to the land of corn and basketball. The common denominator in McCollum’s past two albums is they speak on what matters.
“I write about things that move me,” McCollum said. “I’m not big on the trivial.”
You can buy McCollum an ale, but unlike many country artists, don’t play him a song about brews.
“I’m not a fan of beer songs,” McCollum said. “I don’t have any songs about beers or trucks. I come from another place.”
The Nashville, Tennessee-based singer-songwriter crafts songs that are deep and catchy. McCollum, 31, is adept at writing about relationships. McCollum scored some airplay over recent years with such catchy, meaningful tunes as “To Be Loved By You” and “Love You Like That.”
“I try to write that perfect song you want to hear during that golden hour,” McCollum said. “I admire the guys who have done that, like James McMurtry, Todd Snider and John Mayer, who is so underrated.
“There is a place for love songs, good love songs. They say something about life and it’s about what’s important. To me, it’s about having integrity. It’s essential.”
McCollum, who will perform Thursday at the Arena, believes that he’s attracted to meaningful music, since that’s what he listened to as a kid just outside of Houston in Conroe, Texas, during the 1990s.
“My mom listened to a lot of Johnny Cash and George Strait, as well as the Judds,” McCollum said. “That music shaped me as a fan, and eventually as a singer-songwriter. I was really blessed to be around it.”
High school football is a religion in the Lone Star State and McCollum was part of the action on the gridiron and he also played baseball and basketball.
“But I knew that I was much better at singing, playing guitar and writing songs,” McCollum said. “I had a much greater chance at success with music than sports. I watch my Houston teams and root for them on television, but I was never going to be able to play sports at a high level.”
McCollum is charting his own course.
“I’m going to do it the right way,” McCollum said. “When I look back at this when I’m an old man, I’ll have done it in a way I’ll be proud of.”