Brian Kelley: ‘Tennessee Truth’ – Debut Album Review

When Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard announced the Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum country duo, Florida Georgia Line, would be taking a break so the two could pursue solo careers, Kelley quickly revamped his persona as a “Beach Cowboy” with his release of the tropical Sunshine State of Mind album. The seventeen-track project is an homage to his home-state of Florida, filled with songs about the ocean and the sand. With Tennessee Truth, the diamond-selling superstar returns to his roots with twelve hard-hitting tracks about southern-life. 

“It might’ve been easier to stay in the coastal Country lane,” Kelley admitted in a recent press release, “because that’s what was expected. But I wanted to make music that was all of my life, all the things I love. Because, let’s be honest, the rest of what I’m singing about, lots of people love them too.”

Of the twelve tracks, six of them were previously released, including the country-boy anthems, “How We’re Livin’” and “Trucks, Ducks, Bucks, and Beer,” and the romantic tunes, “Dirt Cheap” and “Dirt Road Date Night.” The record also contains the lead single, “See You Next Summer,” which is Kelley’s highest charting solo release, breaking into the top thirty.

“Girl, I’ve never gone to Jacksonville, Georgia // But after holdin’ you all night, I wanna // ‘Cause this ain’t a margarita, can I get your number // “Meet me by the water” text, hookin’ up // See you next summer”

The album starts off with “Acres,” a catchy tune about how his girl loves having a lot of land to dance, drink, swim, start a fire, and ride around in. The third track, “King Ranch,” covers a similar theme, cleverly calling his wife the “queen of my king ranch.” “Doin’ Nothin’ is a fun, relaxing song about how much the singer enjoys doing nothing with his day.

While most of the album references country life, Kelley also references the beach in tracks like “Barefeet Or Boots” and “10 o’Clock On The Dock.” The former mixes fiddle into a hip-hop beat, as the singer praises how good his girl looks in the sand or in the dirt. The latter is a slow, love song about how serene it is just watching the stars and ocean waves from a dock with his girl. “Goin’ Places” is sexy tune, similar to FGL’s “Talk You Out Of It.” The singer cannot wait until closing time so he and his girl can get some alone time in the bedroom.

The controversial “Kiss My Boots” closes the record. The song is about someone cutting ties with an old friend. Upon its release, many fans speculated that it was directed at his former bandmate. While the lyrics don’t indicate this, Kelley is seen cutting a peach at the end of the music video—the official fruit of Georgia. 

Singers like Kenny Chesney, Jimmy Buffet, and Jake Owen have made careers singing about the beach, and it seemed like Kelley was headed down that road as well. However, the 38-year-old from Florida wanted to show everyone he was still country, and the album undoubtedly proved that. 

“Tennessee Truth has shown me what kind of fighter I am. Music continues to guide my life,” he explained. “These songs are the product of a season of learning, exploring, patience, striving, and hustle…These songs are going to live longer than me. This is my life and my world. I wanted people to feel what I feel.”

Tennessee Truth Track List:

1. Acres
2. How We’re Livin’
3. King Ranch
4. Trucks, Ducks, Bucks & Beer
5. Goin’ Places
6. Barefoot or Botos
7. Dirt Road Date Night
8. 10 O’Clock On The Dock
9. See You Next Summer
10. Doin’ Nothin’
11. Dirt Cheap
12. Kiss My Boots

Country Swag Picks:

1. Acres
2. See You Next Summer
3. Kiss My Boots
4. Barefeet Or Boots