Loose and in his element nearly two decades into his career

Nearly two decades into his career and Chris Young is in his element. The country singer-songwriter’s ninth album, following 2021’s spirited and collaborative Famous Friends, feels both loose and enlivened, the work of an artist who firmly knows who he is. Accordingly, Young exercised a lot of creative control over the record, co-writing 15 of the 18 tracks and co-producing the album with Chris DeStefano and Corey Crowder. Young Love & Saturday Nights opens with “Looking for You”, a neon love song Young originally released in 2023. A few other previously released songs appear here, too, like the tearjerker “All Dogs Go to Heaven” and the delicious “Double Down”. Other highlights include the title track, which borrows a guitar lick from David Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel” (the late star gets a writing credit), and the driving closer “Down”.