Gilbert hitting all right notes
Everybody in Nashville has been predicting Brantley Gilbert will be the next big thing in country music for a couple of years now. His new album, the long-awaited “Just as I Am,” is engineered to make that little bit of soothsaying a reality.
The tracks on “Just as I Am” follow the blueprint for modern country success. There’s the drinking song – first single “Bottoms Up” is already a No. 1 hit. There’s a song about his hometown called “Lights of My Hometown.”
He makes sure he defines himself for his female fans on the opener, “If You Want a Bad Boy,” pays tribute to friends and family members who died too young (“One Hell of an Amen”) and doesn’t forget the all-star team-up (“Small Town Throwdown” with label mates Justin Moore and Thomas Rhett).
Gilbert had a lot to do with this formula’s popularity as the writer of some of Jason Aldean’s biggest hits, including “My Kinda Party” and “Dirt Road Anthem” – the songs that put Aldean over the top.
Since then, there’s been a debate about the direction of country, and Gilbert’s third album is certainly fodder for the discussion.
There’s a difference between following a formula and becoming cliché, however, and Gilbert easily skirts that line with his songwriting, his sonic choices and a more varied vocal approach on the Dann Huff-produced album. Gilbert co-wrote all 11 tracks with the help of some of Nashville’s more distinctive songwriters and feels more invested than some of his song-mining peers.
“Bottoms Up” is more melancholy love song than a sloppy drunk anthem, and Gilbert’s vocal is subtle.
The laid-back guitar line on that leads off opener “Bad Boy” is an invitation to listen for interesting instrumentation throughout.
“Hometown” builds powerfully with a gospel choir wrapped around a towering guitar solo.
And a melancholy line throughout the album finds a home in album-closing “My Faith in You,” a song that reaffirms Gilbert’s faith after a difficult period that’s included the end of his engagement and struggles with alcohol.
If you have bought into mainstream country’s modern sound, “Just as I Am” will be one of your year’s biggest albums. And if not, well, settle in, this one’s going to be on the radio for a while.