Up-and-coming country artist Brett Eldredge has been taking the country music world by storm. Recently recognized in Billboard magazine as “one of the format’s biggest breakouts,” Eldredge has become one of the most talented rookie artists in country music, and he is certainly up for the challenge.
In the wake of his critical acclaim in Billboard. Eldredge released his debut album “Bring You Back” with Atlantic Records, which was co-produced by Senior Vice President of A&R for Warner Music Nashville Scott Hendricks (Blake Shelton, Keith Urban) and other hit-makers including Luke Laird (Little Big Town) and Byron Gallimore (Faith Hill).
“Bring You Back” has received nationwide attention and has crept into the No. 13 spot on Billboard’s country chart. Eldredge has also received a nomination by the CMA Awards for New Artist of the Year.
Eldredge’s debut album perfectly blends pop, country and blues together into a fantastic 12-track LP that will even give non-country listeners a chance to develop a taste for country music.
The first track, “Tell Me Where To Park,” is riff packed and fast paced and sets the tone for the album. There’s no rest for the wicked, though, as Eldredge’s hit single “Don’t Ya” immediately follows, creating the perfect blend of wailing guitars and crooning vocals.
Eldredge’s voice on the first four tracks of “Bring You Back” are flawless and groove to the perfect blend of guitar twangs and humming banjos.
While Eldredge clearly shows his talent at writing strong, upbeat country rhythms, he also has quite the talent for writing raw ballads. The songs “One Mississippi” and “Raymond” show a much more sensitive and deeper side to his debut album, exposing his vulnerability.
“One Mississippi” captures a moment of heartbreak for him, with a piano bellowing in the background, while “Raymond” gives us a glimpse into his relationship with an elderly woman who thinks of him as her son.
Eldredge’s lyrical sincerity is apparent in nearly every track of the debut album, as he wrote 11 of the 12 songs on “Bring You Back.”
While the album is stunning throughout, it never seems to return to the pace laid down in the opening track. Eldredge has no problem writing upbeat riffs with warbling vocals, but his record needs one more rocker to complete the otherwise perfect mesh of songs. Nevertheless, Eldredge more than makes up for it by providing us with a steady flow of well written songs and one-of-a-kind musicianship.
Bottom Line: Country fans, go buy this album. Non-country fans, go buy this album. I’m not usually a huge fan of country music, I never really have been, but this album has given me a new perspective on the genre. I highly recommend picking up “Bring You Back” and keeping your eye on Brett Eldredge in the coming months. He will be a major country-music performer.
Rating: 9
Favorite Track: “Gotta Get There”
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