Scotty McCreery - Scooter & Friends EP (2025) Hi-Res

Scooter, he’d told Birmingham that night, was what his wife calls him—and “Scooter and Friends” is filled with that same warmth.

His mates here include Hootie & the Blowfish, with whom he recorded “Bottle Rockets” (the single had been released the week before I saw him), and that track gave him the idea for this EP.

Essentially, it’s the soundtrack to a Southern summer as it appears in my head. “Swim Up Bar” has a Latin tinge, given that he’s in a bar in Mexico.

And the smooth soul of “Once Upon a Bottle of Wine” (with vocals supplied by Charlie Wilson) is surely designed for an assault on the charts.

Things get a little more rock ‘n’ roll—hell, there’s cowbell, for goodness’ sake!—on “Whiskey Said”, which belongs in the back-road honky tonk you’d like to think it was conceived in.

If Lee Brice is perfect for that one, then it’s perhaps telling that the most country thing of all, “Holding Down the Honkytonk”, is McCreery on his own. Early Eric Church records are full of gems like this, and it’ll never get old.

“Damn Strait”—to quote one of his songs—Scotty McCreery is a proper talent. Yes, he won American Idol, but it’s more than that.

He co-writes all of these, he’s got a wonderful voice, and he wants to explore his sound. He reckons if fans like this, he’ll make more records like “Scooter and Friends”. On that basis, he’d best start planning the next one.