Brantley Gilbert Needs to Give Up on This Bad Boy Bullshit

Every time an extremely talented artist achieves success, one of two things seems to happen. Either the artist drastically changes the landscape of their art form through the things that make them unique, or that artist clings to a newfound image so loyally that their art suffers at the hands of it. Brantley Gilbert falls into the latter category.

Before mainstream country fans knew Brantley Gilbert's name, it was well known to the fans lucky to stumble upon his music that he does have a rough side, and a past that speaks volumes to just how dangerous alcohol is. He has since claimed to have kicked the sauce, and yet the two lead singles from his last two albums promote binge drinking. Seems ass backward, doesn't it?

Friday saw the release of Gilbert's new album The Devil Don't Sleep, and while there are 2-3 tolerable songs and maybe one great song, most of it is radio drivel highlighted by awkward hip hop beats, Gilbert's ridiculous growl-singing that sounds like shit live, and a seeming need to remind us of how much of a badass Gilbert thinks he is. None of it is even remotely believable, which makes some of these songs awkwardly hilarious, and quite frankly, count me among the people who miss the Brantley Gilbert that sang about real things and actually sang, to boot, as opposed to this vocal style that makes it sound like he's gargling gravel.

I find so little redemption for this record. There's too much posturing, too much flag waving and chest beating. This is music for that guy compensating for something by putting a lift kit on his truck that jacks it up into orbit. Gilbert's songwriting--once his greatest asset--has devolved into pure silliness. Even the more serious songs are ridiculous. "Outlaw in Me" is poorly titled, considering the connotations of the word "Outlaw" in country music. Brantley Gilbert is no more outlaw than Luke Bryan or Jason Aldean. He's chasing trends with the rest of corporate Nashville.

"Three Feet of Water" is a breath of fresh air, and doesn't come off as preachy, but unfortunately it's the very last song on the album. Track 16. Please don't ask me how I even made it that far, because I honestly don't know. After 15 songs of terrible growl-vocals and one mainstream lyrical trope after another, even a song as great as "Three Feet of Water" couldn't do much for this record.

The Devil in Me is the continued devolution of Brantley Gilbert. He no longer writes good songs. He no longer sings properly. He's no longer a bright spot in modern country music. It's a shame, and hopefully as he ages he comes out of this Sons of Anarchy cast-off phase and begins to release good music again. 0/10