As of late, former Florida Georgia Line star Brian Kelley made headlines thanks to more drama surrounding the duo’s fallout. Coincidentally, this surge in attention couldn’t have come at a more opportune moment, as Kelley unveiled his sophomore solo album, Tennessee Truth, on Friday, May 10th.
For someone who’s eager to distance himself from his FGL days, Brian Kelley has yet to make a significant, lasting effort to carve out his own sound. Florida Georgia Line could have easily recorded this collection of 12 songs in 2015. The creative vision for Tennessee Truth seemed to be “FGL without Tyler Hubbard,” which doesn’t make it any better. It’s been four years and two albums since the band split, and Kelley has yet to show much evolution as country music ushers in a new era; the bro-country era was on its way out years ago. ‘Tennessee Truth’ might have been a hit then, but we’re living in a different world now. It’s time for Kelley to step up and evolve with the genre.
Kelley released his debut solo album, Sunshine State of Mind, in 2021. At the time, he was going down a distinct beach country path that he seemed very comfortable on. That approach would have provided some artistic separation from his past despite a similar production. That record was an exciting look at what could be coming in a post-Florida Georgia Line world, where each member found a cool niche and finally broke out of the cliches that had handicapped their careers together. This is not to say that Kelley would’ve reached the level of Jimmy Buffett or Zac Brown Band, but no one was carrying the beach country mantel, and BK had a feel for it. In 2024, it feels like a massive missed opportunity not to pursue that style further. Tennessee Truth is a step in the wrong direction toward the very music he’s said he wants to avoid. Just as he was finally forming an identity of his own, he’s back to just being “Brian Kelley from Florida Georgia Line.”
This record sounds like an AI-generated pastiche of FGL from start to finish, as there isn’t a single original thought anywhere. It’s like they went through a checklist to ensure they hit all of the country music cliches Kelley was derided for in 2010s. The good news for them is that they were able to knock out four in the title of one song! The fourth track of the project is called “Trucks, Ducks, Bucks & Beer.” If it wasn’t self-evident, it’s all about going out and hunting while having beer. That wasn’t the only example; Southern lifestyle cliches are the backbone of this sleepy record. “King Ranch” is a woefully boorish ditty about getting a girl looking like a dream in the King Ranch truck. While there’s a place for uncomplicated, stereotypical songs, 12 straight is excessive, and the concept gets old quickly.
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From a narrative standpoint, “Kiss My Boots” was undeniably the most interesting track. It came out on March 9th, unveiling the “Tennessee Truth” about his and Tyler Hubbard’s falling out. However, as salacious as a tell-all expose would be from BK, the whole thing is a messy contradiction. Kelley made it clear he doesn’t want any association with THubb or the band, but then he dropped a frustrated diss track. Flattly, it was a total letdown. The song’s lack of specificity makes it nearly impossible to sympathize with him, and it isn’t easy to even listen without cringing at its vague protests. In the end, no dirty laundry is aired out, no matter how many times he brays about telling the “Tennessee Truth,” and it’s Brian, not Tyler, who comes off as the more unlikeable one. It felt unnecessary to bring it up without any real justification for why he deserves the listener’s sympathy. Kelley clumsily opened the floodgates, and thanks to this lack of execution, Hubbard now has the opportunity to end it and come out on top.
Much like every other aspect of the project, the production is stuck in the 2010s. There is little to no variation between each track, making it feel like the same song has been played 12 times. All the songs blend in a monotonous blur of boring guitar riffs, and in the end, it all just sounds like noise. Every track will have listening fatigue after just a few times through, and they will all be skipped often if they even make their way into the listener’s library. The silver lining is while it was well below average, it could’ve somehow managed to be worse. At best, it’s just background noise, but not all are unbearable.
Brian Kelley stepped up to the plate to craft his solo brand, aiming to break away from the Florida Georgia Line. However, instead of hitting a home run, he struck out looking and was sent back to the minor leagues. BK had the opportunity to build off his beach country sound but regrettfully returned to the tried and tired FGL sound. Kelley needs to start growing with the genre to save his solo career and finally get all the way past the bro-country era. Tennessee Truth would’ve seen more success ten years ago, but in 2024, it’s a swing and a miss.
3.2/10
