If I said it before, I’ve said it about 100 times: there’s nothing, and I mean absolutely NOTHING, I appreciate and admire more than an artist who keeps it real. In other words, my new favorite artist, Brian Grilli, keeps it real on his album, Deep South Symphony, released by the Spectra Music Group and he certainly has no problem doing so. Okay, maybe he’s not my favorite artist, but he certainly comes close. I’m surprised that I’m saying that because the country genre isn’t particularly my favorite genre. However, it’s a genre that I’ve come to appreciate and adore. No, that is not a bad thing, it’s actually a great thing as is the new Brian Grilli album Deep South Symphony. It’s that good.
The minute I heard Keep On Keepin’ On was the minute my perception for this album was defined. This song centers around a devastating and bad breakup. Now, as a musical fanatic, I’ve heard many songs of this kind. But, the thing that distinguishes this song from any other is Brian’s rawness and personality evident in it. Speaking of Brian, he’s a different subject in and of himself. Anyways, I could literally sense him telling me a vivid story with my hearing senses. In other words, I could “see” the story being played out in front of me while heeding the lyrics. The ability to tell a story through singing and actually have the listeners “see” the story is not something that every artist can do. That’s not to say that every artist can’t do that. However, it is to say that that’s a very challenging thing to do. In other words, to have an ability like such takes time to develop. While I’m on the developmental topic, that pretty much goes for any ability. To have an ability in you is one thing, but to master it is something completely different. Trust me, I should know. The fact that Brian can showcase that ability flawlessly is pretty impressive and something to be proud of.
Brian’s vocals are worth noting, mainly because of his robust and raspy sound. I don’t know what it is about artists with raspy sounds that strike me. The first time I came in contact with a sound as such is when I heard Automatic Loveletter’s Unhearted, an indie rock song that’s truly worth the listen. It’s frustrating that I can’t put my finger on why raspy-sounding artists are amazing. I don’t know if it’s just the sound or just the artist themselves, but what I do not is that raspy-sounding artists are selectively some of the best artists around. Brian’s raspy voice is actually part of what made his album enjoyable to listen to and perhaps one of the best country albums I’ve heard.
Fellow music-heads, please give Brian Grilli’s Deep South Symphony a listen. It’s raw, a bit emotional, and something to totally bless your summer…or the rest of it, at least.
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