Currington had a few scattered songwriting credits before he was picked up by Mercury Records in 2003. His debut album produced the hits "Walk a Little Straighter" and "I Got a Feelin'", and then-labelmate Shania Twain featured him on her last Top 10 hit, "Party for Two", by the end of 2004.
It was late 2005's Doin' Somethin' Right that produced his first #1 hit in "Must Be Doin' Somethin' Right", along with "Good Directions", co-penned by a then-unknown Luke Bryan. In 2009, Currington suffered a concussion following a stage collapse in Alberta, which also injured his bassist and killed a spectator. He also had his biggest hit in this timespan with "People Are Crazy", a ballad from Little Bit of Everything. Enjoy Yourself also racked up the chart-toppers "Pretty Good at Drinkin' Beer" and "Let Me Down Easy", while a change of producers (Carson Chamberlain to Dann Huff) saw an edgier, more guitar-driven sound in the hits "Hey Girl", "We Are Tonight", and "Don't It".
Currington's sound balances traditional country with a pop-rock polish and occasional traces of R&B.
Albums
- Billy Currington (2003)
- Doin' Somethin' Right (2005)
- Little Bit of Everything (2008)
- Enjoy Yourself (2010)
- We Are Tonight (2013)
- Summer Forever (2015)
- Intuition (2021)
Tropes present in his work:
- Alcoholic Parent: The subject of "Walk a Little Straighter" is the narrator's alcoholic father. (Currington wrote the chorus when he was only 12.)
- Doo-Wop Progression: "Love Done Gone"
- Early-Bird Cameo: He wrote a song for Tracy Byrd before having hits of his own.
- Everytown, America: "Drinkin' Town with a Football Problem" is about a small rural American town that is devoted to its high school football team.
- Karmic Jackpot: "People Are Crazy". The narrator converses with an old man, who provides the title observation. Later on, the narrator discovers that the old man has died and left a fortune to him.
- Lyrical Dissonance: For a song about moving on from a failed relationship, "Love Done Gone" is almost ridiculously cheery, with its upbeat "ba-ba-da, ba-da-ba" and trumpets.
- New Sound Album: We Are Tonight has more of a pop rock edge.
- Intuition has strong R&B and electronic influences.
- Ode to Intoxication: "Pretty Good at Drinkin' Beer" points out that the narrator doesn't have a lot of useful world skills, but is "pretty good at drinkin' beer".
- Old Man Conversation Song: "People Are Crazy" is a conversation with an old man in a bar.
- Self-Backing Vocalist: Usually averted, but played straight on "Drinkin' Town with a Football Problem".
