I got a Brett crush, hate to admit it butI got a heart rush, ain’t slowin’ downI got it real bad, want everything he singsThat song and the smooth voice he’s givin’ you now
Now that the scene is set for how I was anticipating the release of ‘Illinois’ we can get to reviewing the music that forms the album. To a certain extent, Brett Eldredge could release almost anything and I would still love it, just because his voice absolutely melts me, and I could listen to him sing all day long. ‘Bring You Back’ is my go-to album for almost any situation, and whilst I wasn’t too bothered about some of the songs on it (‘Tell Me Where To Park’ for one), some of the songs were simply mind-blowingly good, and this made me so excited for this new project.
‘Illinois’ begins with the second song released for public listening, ‘Fire’. Musically this is not dissimilar to ‘Tell Me Where To Park’, the opener to his debut album ‘Bring You Back’ in that it has a quite heavy sound created by thick backing, overlaid with Brett’s soulful voice putting on a rock style vocal. However, I think this is better than ‘Tell Me Where To Park’, having a more infectious melody and a more powerful delivery. Having said that, it did take me a few listens to properly appreciate the song since it isn’t one of those tracks that immediately grabs you, given that there is nothing really outstanding about it.
The first surprise turn of Brett Eldredge’s new musical project comes in the second track, where his friendship with Thomas Rhett becomes evident with a full-blown R&B song. Rhett actually collaborates on this track, which is actually of more note than the song itself since it is quite revealing of Thomas’ ties to country. In ‘You Can’t Stop Me’, Rhett is unrecognisable from the singer known for his strong southern twang making his R&B songs ‘country’, and has absolutely no discernible twang at all. This actually suits him quite well, and shows how his connection to ‘country’ is a solely commercial one, given that when it isn’t his career on show he would prefer to make 100% R&B music. I actually really like ‘You Can’t Stop Me’, since the R&B style suits Brett very well (is there anything he doesn’t sing perfectly?) and the collaboration with Rhett is very smoothly done, creating an authentic song that isn’t chasing any trends, but that sounds pretty natural and isn’t constrained by label or listener expectation.
Tracks like ‘If You Were My Girl’, ‘Illinois’ and ‘Wanna Be That Song’ return to the Brett that we already know and love, making me melt with the sentiment and sheer beauty of his stunning baritone voice. ‘If You Were My Girl’ is a personal highlight, following on the winning formula of ‘Mean To Me’ whereby Brett stuns us with a beautiful romantic ballad and a heavier weight to the music, unlike a song like ‘Illinois’ which is much more stripped back and relies much less on an infectious melody. Having said this ‘Illinois’ seems to be a very personal song for Brett, commemorating his home state. I find this quite interesting since usually in country music artists from northern or foreign backgrounds tend to keep that side of themselves quieter, whilst still singing in a southern accent. Brett bringing up his Illinois background really works for me, and I think that this is a fantastic song, up there with the best from either album.
‘Shadow’ is another departure from the straight-and-narrow for Brett, and I couldn’t be happier that he includes it on the album. Using a heavier rock style, including vocal vocoder, this creates a more gritty sound that I think is wonderful when used on Brett’s vocals. I absolutely love this style of music, and recently it has been used more in country, with Zac Brown’s ‘Heavy Is The Head’ and Cam’s ‘Runaway Train’ being the first examples to spring to mind. As one of the final tracks of the album, it is clear that ‘Illinois’ is structured so that the ‘meat’ of the album ensures that Brett stays true to his roots whilst he leaves lots of room for experimentation towards the beginning and end of the record. I think this works really well, especially since I am a huge fan of a variety of musical styles, and love hearing different facets of an artist’s voice.
Comparing ‘Illinois’ to ‘Bring You Back’ is difficult since ‘Illinois’ has much more of a modern slant. However, I would say that whilst ‘Illinois’ never hits the heights of Brett’s debut offering, it doesn’t stoop to the lows either. I would say that ‘Illinois’ is a very solid offering, with every song being good, and few being outstanding.
I love Brett Eldredge and I like ‘Illinois’. I would highly suggest a listen, even if it is only to absorb the best male voice in country music.
Originally posted here.
