Review Summary: A decent country album that unfortunately suffers from a bit of male country singer syndrome...
There is a brand of country music known as "bro-country". This kind of country music combines elements of country, pop, rock, and lately a bit of rap (looking at you Florida Georgia Line). Lyrically, it's mostly about drinking and ***ing to be blunt. Falling on the rougher edges of "bro-country" is Georgia native Brantley Gilbert. Gilbert first came into mainstream consciousness for writing Jason Aldean's #1 hit "My Kinda Party" as well as "Dirt Road Anthem". Off the strength of those writing credits, Gilbert scored a contract with Valory Music Group, who released his album Halfway To Heaven in 2011. Now, three years later, Gilbert has released his third album Just As I Am.
Musically, Brantley Gilbert lies somewhere between the aforementioned Aldean and Eric Church. Although not as rebellious as Church in terms of songwriting, he is also not as polished as Aldean. Gilbert's voice is one of the more unique in country for it's smooth Southern drawl. Opener "If You Want a Bad Boy" sounds like an Aldean song with a louder edge, and will sit well on country radio whenever it is released as a single. Continuing the Aldean thread, "Bottoms Up" is so Aldean-ish that it suffers a bit. It's still a decent song though, and that's almost the problem on Just As I Am. While most of the songs are decently written, few moments still stand out. "Lights of My Hometown" is a six-minute long track that stands out for it's length and it's hip-hop bent. "Small Country Throwdown" is an extremely stupid yet extremely fun song that features Thomas Rhett and Justin Moore. It's the most rock-influenced song on the album, but listening to the lyrics nearly destroy it. As it is, "Small Country Throwdown" is an interesting experiment.
On Just As I Am, Gilbert's songwriting shines in the more sensitive and heartfelt moments. "That Was Us" tells the story of a friendship gone awry, "Let It Ride" is a good love song, and "My Faith in You" is the best song on the entire album.
You will look at my summary and wonder, "what is male country singer syndrome?" In my mind, male country singer syndrome is forever linked with "bro-country" because of it's incredibly formulaic songwriting and the annoying lyrics. The prime examples of this disease in my mind are Florida Georgia Line and Luke Bryan. While Brantley Gilbert never sinks to those songwriting lows on Just As I Am, the album as a whole is a step down from the good-to-great Halfway To Heaven. On that album, Gilbert expertly positioned himself alongside Eric Church as the rebellious outsiders of country, but on Just As I Am it feels like Brantley has swallowed up by the Nashville pop-country machine. He has lost some of his identity, and as a result, Just As I Am feels like a hollow album title.
I believe the true Brantley Gilbert lies closer to the badass displayed on Halfway to Heaven, but here he has obviously decided to go for the radio. In an already overcrowded sea of male country singers, Brantley Gilbert has gotten lost. Hopefully he finds his way back next time around.
