Fire and Brimstone
Ask any country fan who THE name in country is right now and they will answer BRANTLEY GILBERT. His latest album has just been released and has gone straight to number one on the country charts. He is one of only five Country artists to have back-to-back PLATINUM albums this century and ten years after his debut album, Brantley Gilbert is back with his latest offering, ‘Fire and Brimstone’. I have to say, before I start, I haven’t listened to any Brantley Gilbert prior to this album. I’m going in blind. So what’s all the fuss about?
The album opens with ‘Fire’t up’, a modern sounding track, with a great banjo riff, did I expect anything less? This is country, but with a very modern twist. A catchy first song with a definite foot tapping rhythm, I found myself really getting into it. It grabs you right from the start and brings you in.
It leads into the next track, ‘Not Like Us’ which begins with an acoustic guitar, that is very quickly joined by an electric. The opening is very country rock in its territory, but it also blends electronic drums with real ones, along with a synth and sounds a little produced. A perfect mash up of styles. Lyrically this is great too, quite an angsty song declaring ‘Show me what you got boy, You’re not like us’. It almost has a tribal pack feel, with an us and them sentiment – I have joined the BG massive!!
A track featuring Willie Nelson along with his son Lukas and rapper Colt Ford is up next. ‘Welcome to Hazeville’ is very urban in style. Quite surprising considering it features guitar aficionado’s Willie and Lukas Nelson. Again, this is another great mash up of styles – Not my favourite track, perhaps it’s a little too urban for me, but you can’t help but enjoy the musicality of it. The guitar is super chilled out and Willie coming in at the end with ‘Welcome to Hazeville’ is a great touch.
In complete contrast to the previous track and possibly my favourite track of the album, ‘What happens in a small town’ is a country rock anthem. Joining Brantley is Canadian singer Lindsay Ell and the pair duet and produce a gorgeous song. This is more straight down the middle country. It’s got that hint of rock and it’s a real corker of a song. Lindsay and Brantley’s voices really work well together too. I love it!
As the album continues, you can’t help but be drawn in by Brantley’s eclectic mix of songs and styles. He really does draw from a whole lot of different musical influences. I really like ‘Tough Town’, another rock infused country track, perfect for driving those long highways… Well, the M6 at least! Tough Town leads into the title track, ‘Fire and Brimstone’. What a track it is, opening up with just an acoustic guitar and featuring Alison Krauss and Jamey Johnson, which allows for the most spine tinglingly beautiful three part harmony lines. Absolutely exceptional, what a beautiful track.
Continuing through the album, another fantastic moment is ‘Bad Boy’ – passionate guitar playing, it really moves you. It’s pretty much just guitar and vocals all the way through as well, it’s a real country love song. Brantley’s vocals are stunning too, really well sung and heartfelt. What a song!
The album closer is another stunning track. ‘Man That Hung The Moon’ opens with military like drums, but then an acoustic guitar fades in and the drums mellow. This is one of those songs that has the power to transport you away from from whatever you’re doing and take you on a wonderful journey. It’s almost hypnotic when you listen to it. It is such a special song and a great way to close the album.
On the whole, I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Fire and Brimstone’. There were certain points that were a little too “Urban” and slightly over produced for my taste, but because, as I mentioned before, Brantley Gilbert has a whole host of influences, even in the most urban of songs, ‘Welcome to Hazeville’ he didn’t forgo his musicianship and I was able to enjoy some great guitar work.
To conclude, this is a great album as it is not just aimed at country music fans. It’s got bits that Hip hop fans will appreciate, it’s got stuff that rock music fans will appreciate and as such it broadens the scope and increases a fanbase. I liked the rockier stuff, and as such continued to listen and got into the country and I’m now off to explore the rest of the back catalogue. I liked what I heard and want to hear more and I’ll definitely be looking out for any live shows.
Released By The Valory Music Co
Released On 4th October
