Kane Brown: ‘The High Road’ – Album Review
Kane Brown shares brand new album The High Road, officially out now, January 24th on all streaming platforms. Learn more and listen to the new album below.
When it comes to journeying down paths untaken, The High Road finds Kane Brown on a new musical path. For the Georgia native, the LP is his most ambitious and musically diverse project to date, allowing him to stretch himself thematically, melodically, lyrically, and even collaboratively.
On the follow up to 2022’s Different Man, Brown explores different sounds, pushing boundaries beyond his typical sound and style. “This is by far my favorite album, from the sequencing to the songwriting to the different sounds. There’s definitely a song for everybody,” he says in a statement. “My other albums, I always kind of, you know, cared what people thought about. And this album, we don’t… we gave our everything into the songs.”
The eighteen song collection features fifteen tracks co-written by Brown alongside of Nashville’s biggest names including HARDY, Morgan Wallen, Josh Hoge, Jacob Davis, Josh Osborne, and more. He also enlists a wide array of collaborators from various genres including his wife, Katelyn, Khalid, Marshmello, Jelly Roll, and Brad Paisley.
Having co-written most of the album’s new tracks, it’s clear that the songs are special to Brown. “Every song is important to me and every collaboration means something personal to me,” He tells the AP. “I’m so incredibly proud of this record.”
The album kicks off with the driving and earwormy, “I Am,” a powerful admission of fear and uncertainty that’s paired with a catchy beat that echoes with resilience and determination to succeed.
“I’m scared of growing up // I’m scared of growing old // I’m scared of falling short // I’m scared of the unknown // Oh, I’m burning on the edge // But I know right where I stand // I know the road ahead // Will make me who I am”
“Fiddle in the Band” is up next, a clear standout that mixes typical country fiddles with stomping drums on the ode to not fitting into one specific box. In fact, it feels like the type of song many music fans can listen to, jumping genres from country to pop to hip hop to rock, all within one playlist.
“I’m just like you // I was raised on the radio // From Memphis blues to Hollywood rock ’n’ roll // Took a trip to Music City // Brought a little bit of everything with me // I’m a little bit of bass, 808s, a little bit of clap your hands // I’m a little bit of six strings on a backbeat // With a fiddle in the band”
Collaborations also play a big and genre-bending role throughout The High Road, as Brown taps into his inner R&B balladeer on “Rescue,” featuring Khalid. Meanwhile, “Miles On It” features Marshmello and techno, dance beats, while “Things We Quit” with Brad Paisley is a tongue-in-cheek pure country anthem.
Brown also pairs with Jelly Roll on the especially poignant, “Haunted,” which finds them trading verses at their lowest. Inspired by a writing session in an old hotel that felt supernatural, Brown and Jelly Roll reveal a new depth of pain and the struggles they face on the road. It’s a dark and moody ballad that deals with the demons that come with fame.
“‘Cause I’m haunted by the voice in my head // I’m haunted by the taste of that lead // I’ve wanted too many times to // Jump off of the edge // Thinking I was better off dead // I’m haunted only every other night // I’m haunted and I wish I knew why // I’ve wanted too many times to be // Gone by the morning // If I’m honest // Yeah, I’m haunted”
Brown slows things down and brings in some romance by pairing with his wife, Katelyn on two very different duets. There’s “Do Us Apart,” a warm and sweeping ballad that would make a perfect wedding song or bookend to their previous duet, “Thank God.” Alternatively, there’s “Body Talk,” a smoky and sultry R&B laden celebration of all the ways in which two bodies can “talk.”
“Backseat Driver” is truly a special moment, as the father of three details the innocence that comes from riding in the car with his child. Here, he muses over his daughter’s sweet and simple questions, hoping those moments last forever. “It’s crazy all the things she sees on the side of the road, Out of that window beside her I wish I could be more like her,” He sings, “My little dangling feet, pretty in pink, backseat driver.”
“Gorgeous” and “3” also show a softer side to the Georgia native, with the latter celebrating the ways in which his favorite number has played a role in his life, ranging from the size of his family to his baseball jersey to the number of kids he has. Meanwhile, “Gorgeous” is an apt title for the sparse and sentimental song, praising someone that’s beautiful both inside and out.
Brown dabbles with other popular songs in unique ways on The High Road, mixing in the Phil Collins classic, “In the Air Tonight” with his own lyrics on “I Can Feel It.” Likewise, he answers Jennifer Nettles’ desperate pleas from the Sugarland song, “Stay,” with his own song of the same name, telling the sordid tale of infidelity from the male perspective as he implores her not to leave.
Other tunes that find Brown sampling new styles include “Says I Can,” a fun ode to liquid courage and “Back Around,” a twangy and peppy two stepper that is all about karma catching up with someone. Equally sunny and delightful is “Beside Me,” an almost-beachy inspired jaunt that wouldn’t feel out of place for Kenny Chesney or the Zac BrownBand.
The LP ends with the startlingly honest, “When You Forget,” a beautiful tribute to his grandfather who passed away after battling Alzheimer’s.
“Your memory’s fading // It’s breaking my heart // If you look in that mirror // And wonder who you are // You’re still our hero // You’re still the man // A hell of a father // And a damn good friend // You could fix any problem // With a wrench or some words // The backbone of our family // In the front of that church // You kept every promise // For worse or for better // I’m writing you this // So, when you forget // You can remember”
For a consistent superstar like Kane Brown, it would be easy to rest on his laurels and stick to a formula that’s been successful. Yet, on The High Road, he does just the opposite, taking risks and experimenting with new sounds and styles. And while it may have been a gamble, it certainly paid off.
Country Swag Picks:
- Fiddle in the Band
- Backseat Driver
- Haunted ft. Jelly Roll
- Miles On It
- I Am
The High Road Track List:
- I Am
- Fiddle in the Band
- Backseat Driver
- Miles On It with Marshmello
- Says I Can
- 3
- Rescue with Khalid
- Haunted with Jelly Roll
- Star a Fire
- Body Talk with Katelyn Brown
- Gorgeous
- Beside Me
- I Can Feel It
- Things We Quit with Braid Paisley
- Back Around
- Stay
- Do Us Apart with Katelyn Brown
- When You Forget
Kane Brown shares new album, ‘The High Road,’ out now on all streaming platforms.
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The High Road is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released music here on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.
