Brantley Gilbert
The Devil Don’t Sleep
Reviewed by: Lauren Rosier
I’ve said this before and I’ve come to realize this as a music fan and professional- the opening song on an album is critical. You want to open with a bang and the 32-year-old country star, Brantley Gilbert, does that on his new release, The Devil Don’t Sleep.
The Devil Don’t Sleep is a 16-song collection that includes your typical country songs about trucks and getting dirty (“It’s About To Get Dirty”), but it’s more than your typical country music. Gilbert also brings the spotlight to more important life topics such as loyalty, living life to its fullest, and abusive relationships while maintaining authentic country flair.
Devil opens with “Rockin’ Chairs,” a track about living life to its fullest where he sings about seeing “old timers talkin’/all day relivin’ them good ‘ol days…” and that he realizes he “…better live this one life we got up ‘cause/these are the days that are gonna fly by/like lightnin’ so they say…”
He embraces confidence on “The Ones That Like Me” where he sings “...I can count on both hands/my down to ride ‘til the day I die friends/to get them, I’d like to think/that I’m few and far between…”
The lead single, “The Weekend,” is your classic tune about “Live it up for the weekend/Pour it up, have the time of your life…” It’s an extremely catchy song that’s perfect for a party and hanging out with friends.
Gilbert consults his romantic side on “In My Head.” It’s a beautiful song about the beginnings of relationship and the impact that love has on two individuals as they “talked for hours… about our exes, about Jesus in between some sips…”
On “Bullet In a Bonfire,” he focuses on a woman in an abusive relationship and the “stories behind the bruises” where he’s “been the shoulder, you’ve been the reason for her tears/and her tellin’ you it’s over’s useless…”
Country music, I think has this reputation that it’s all about trucks, women, drinking, etc, and truthfully, it is about a lot of those topics. However, country musicians have a way with storytelling in their songs unlike any other genre. Like everyone, he was once a newcomer, but Gilbert’s influence in country music continues to grow and Devil propels him to new heights.
Rating: Bad-Ass
