Born in 1984 in Cedartown, GA, Sam Hunt is synonymous with late-2010s country because of the playfully poppy 2017 single “Body Like a Back Road,” which landed in the year-end Hot 100’s Top 10. With a Music Row background and an ear for incorporating modern pop trends into his vision of country, Hunt released his first album, Montevallo, in 2014, and the R&B flair he added to songs like “Take Your Time” and “Break Up in a Small Town” made him a prime candidate for crossover success. “Back Road,” one of a few singles Hunt released after Montevallo, brought him to pop audiences in a big way, stoking enthusiasm for his second album. SOUTHSIDE, released in 2020, continued Hunt’s savvy melding of time-tested Nashville ideals with modern touches—particularly on the reggae-tinged “Hard to Forget,” which samples Webb Pierce’s 1953 jukebox classic “There Stands the Glass.”