Luke Grimes’ dual career as an actor and musician has more connection points than one might expect. The star of shows like Yellowstone and, more recently, Marshals, Grimes tends to portray gritty characters facing dangerous scenarios and navigating moral dilemmas, immersing himself in the kinds of stories that also often populate country songs. His foray into country music, then, feels like a natural one, and on this sophomore album Grimes lets his natural musical ability shine. Produced by Dave Cobb and recorded at Nashville’s famed/Cobb’s own RCA Studio A, Red Bird is a tautly composed 10-pack of traditionally informed country tunes, recalling the work of fringier country artists like Hayes Carll and Ryan Bingham. As a vocalist, Grimes is versatile, sometimes adopting a swaggering growl à la Kings of Leon’s Caleb Followill, as he does on the foot-stomping opener “High Rise Jeans”, and elsewhere leaning into tenderness, like when he plays off Carter Faith’s harmony vocal on the sweet and brief “Hummingbird”. His songwriting is worth a nod, too, particularly on closing track “A Little More Time”, a wrenching and relatable tribute to Grimes’ late father.