Fire’t Up Commentary

Hey everybody, this is Brantley Gilbert. And I'm Becca, and I know BG Nation and So many country music fans have been waiting a Long time for this new album from Brantley Gilbert. It's called Fire & Brimstone, and we are gonna Be playing the entire album and talking to Brantley About each song right now in the Fire & Brimstone album release special. So first of all, Brantley, thank you so much For being here and for sharing this album with Us. Yes, ma'am. Thank you for having me. So Fire & Brimstone Is your fifth studio album, and I know you Always say that your albums are chapters of your Life. And with this latest chapter, I know that You're in a much different place than you were, Say, with your first album. So specifically with Fire & Brimstone, How is this chapter different from previous ones, And how do you feel like you've grown as A writer and as a performer? Well, you know, I think with every new album, Of course, them being chapters of your life, Especially this one, I became a husband and a Dad, so, uh, o-of course you'll hear that. But, you know, there, there's a lot of reminiscent Songs as well, and kinda looking back on some Of the hell-raising and talking about a little bit Of the current hell-raising. And you also find a lot in there about My faith. All of my albums have a, a Faith-based or spiritual title, and this one's no Different there. But it is just kind of a Snapshot of where I am as a man, as A husband, as a dad, where I'm at in My faith, and a little bit of the backstory On, on how it got there. So I think this one's different than others. As far as storyline goes, it's, It's just the latest chapter. Well, and something I noticed, and I don't mean To blow your cover, Brantley, but you've got those Fun rockin' songs on here like Not Like Us, Fired Up, New Money, and Welcome to Hayesville, But then there's also another side of you in A lot of these songs, kind of a softness. I feel like these songs are a little bit More open and have space to breathe, Like Bad Boy or Lost Soul's Prayer, And of course, the title track, Fire & Brimstone. Was spotlighting that side of you important, And was it something you did intentionally on this Album, or did it just sort of come out In the process of making it? It really just kinda came out in the process. I'm constantly writing. And a lot of times when you're writing an Album, you'll look back and, you know, there may Be a song you started or, or finished way Back that fits this chapter. So that happens a lot, but a lot of It's new stuff. And you can kinda try to Target themes and ideas, but a lot of times We'll bring writers out on the road and we Just have a good time. We write the best Song for the moment. And, uh, those, a lot of times, You end up with something you didn't see coming. So they make their way into the story, and I-it's just an awesome process. This one was no different in that regard. Well, I think this collection of songs is fantastic. It shows so many different sides of you. And for people who wanna know more about Brantley, I think they're really gonna get it in Fire & Brimstone. And so I say let's go song By song now, and we'll play 'em. We'll also let you tell us about the songs, Maybe what inspired them, what was happening to, Uh, influence these songs. And the song that kicks off the album is A rocker. It's Fired Up. So tell me what was going on in the Room that day when you wrote it. Were you in the mood for writing a big Party song? Pretty much. This was one of the ones, as a writer And a player, after a while, you have to Be careful. You know, you do a lot of Familiar things a guitar, and a lot of times Your melody lines can get almost repetitive, Or your licks can get almost repetitive. So, you know, we did a lot of track Writing on this record. And this was a track that Brandon Day brought To the table, and it was kinda rockin', but It had, like, a vibe that we'd never done, But still had a little hell-raiser in there. And we kinda just wrote to the mood. And, uh, yeah, it's a three-minute party. You said it perfect. And, you know, one thing I love about Fired Up picking off the album Is that people probably know that you are seven And a half years clean of alcohol and opioids, And you're now a dad of two, and you're Married, and you're kinda settled down just a Little. But this song sorta sets the stage and Puts people on notice that you have not lost Your ability to throw a party and have a Damn good time. Oh, no. And, a lot of people ask me, you know, "How do you sing songs that still have drinking In 'em, this, and the other?" I tell folk, "When I did drink, I drank enough most of You rookies to last a lifetime." Know I I cut my teeth, got my stripes. I could sing drinkin' songs for as long as I want to. And another thing I really like About this song is the title. You know, you may have seen Fire It Up, But this one's Fired Up. It's like F-I-R-E-'t Up. And when you listen to the song, it's like, Man, when I'm around my boys at home, we're About to throw down or hit a party up, Or whatever, it's like, "Hey man, fired up," You know? It's a fun one, man. That was the, one of the last songs we Added. You know, I listened through the album and It just felt like it was missing that energy, And that song filled that spot perfect. Well, I say let's go ahead and do what The song says. Fired Up, it is the first Song off Brantley Gilbert's new album, Fire & Brimstone, and you're just at the beginning of the Fire & Brimstone album release special here on Big Machine Radio.