It’s safe to say Breland was one of the breakout stars of this year’s Country to Country festival. Drawing huge crowds for his sets across the weekend, he wowed UK audiences with his diverse musical style and soulful vocals. Now he’s releasing his long-awaited debut album, ‘Cross Country’, ahead of his return trip across the pond next month.
The album opens with ‘Here For It’, featuring Ingrid Andress (one of a whopping five collaborations across the album’s 14 tracks). Right from the off, with the song’s knocking and door-opening effects, this feels like an announcement of Breland’s intentions to do something completely different. There’s gospel touches from the organ and choir, whilst the poppy beat adds a nice extra touch and the reference to Diana Ross’ ‘River Deep, Mountain High’ feels like a nice tribute. Breland and Andress’ vocals work really well together and the song’s message of being there for the people you care about – whether that’s for a drink, a dance or a shoulder to cry out – sets out the narrative for the rest of the album straight away.
One thing that struck me about the record is the sheer range of genres it encompasses. In the space of two songs, Breland goes from 90s-influenced country sounds on the rocking, playful ‘Natural’ – which samples Shania Twain’s classic ‘Man! I Feel Like A Woman’ with its spiky guitars and twang, yet still feels fresh due to lyrics that place it smack in 2022 – and a more soulful sound on the introspective break-up ballad ‘Told You I Could Drink’, with its lush harmonies from Lady A complementing his voice perfectly. Elsewhere, ‘Praise The Lord’ with Thomas Rhett sees Breland introducing some gospel touches in a bouncy ode to the joys of Southern living (as well as delivering some impressive vocal runs!), and ‘Throw It Back’ sees Breland trading lines with Keith Urban over a slinky, sparse guitar line that’s made for getting your swag on before nights out.
As well as the aforementioned ‘Natural’ and ‘Told You I Could Drink’, many of the standout songs on the album are the ballads. The mellow ‘For What It’s Worth’ sees Breland reflecting on where he went wrong in a relationship over a big soaring chorus that shows the raw edge to his vocals as well as huge emotional power. Meanwhile, ‘Happy Song’ hits harder than the title might suggest due to its simple but effective trick of contrasting acoustic guitar melodies on the chorus and verses, and the weighty ‘Good For You’ brilliantly evokes the ‘green grass and gravel’ of home before throwing in a twist on the chorus. The song really puts the focus on Breland’s vocals – as many of the slower tracks do – and show that he’s just as talented a singer as he is a writer. I also loved the title track, which pairs a gorgeous mellow acoustic guitar line with a driving drum machine beat and features beautiful harmonies from Breland and Mickey Guyton as they reflect on how they got where they are today. It feels like such a personal song for the both of them and I found myself welling up just listening to it.
That said, there’s plenty of room for the more fun, upbeat tracks too. ‘County Line’ mixes 70s soul vibes with hip-hop beats in tribute to Breland’s childhood friends and is packed full of lyrical details (right down to Billy the dog sleeping under an ’88 Chevy and a reference to ‘Dust On The Bottle’), as well as one of many rap moments that pop up throughout the record – that rapid-fire delivery is fast becoming one of his trademarks. Meanwhile, ‘Growing Pains’ has a touch of Mumford & Sons about it with its jangly chorus and folky feel, as well as optimistic lyrics that focus on growth and self-love (as Breland himself says, ‘if you can’t see the good in you how can someone else?’). Even ‘Thick’, a punchy ode to curvy women that name-checks the likes of Lizzo and Serena Williams, deftly avoids going into sleazy territory due to its bouncy groove, whilst the cheeky ‘Don’t Look At Me’ has a bluesy, sultry feel and smart writing that keeps things light.
The album closes with the stripped-back, knowing ‘Alone At The Ranch’, which sees Breland nod to 90s R’n’B slow jams with plenty of country references throughout (as well as chirping cicadas!) whilst showing off his high range and vocal runs once again. It’s a great blend of the two genres and the fade out effect at the end of the album leaves it on a note that makes you intrigued to hear more from him.
Overall, at the risk of this being a bold statement, Breland might have just released the best debut album of 2022. Effortlessly adding notes of pop, hip-hop, rock and R’n’B – but without losing the country soul of the album due to the callbacks to classic songs and plenty of twang throughout – and tying the whole project together with smooth vocals, stellar writing and a huge dose of swagger and fun, it’s a truly modern record that feels like his announcement of being on the verge of being the genre’s next big star. It’s a real melting pot of a record, packed with hits and sure to sound great on stage, that has a completely unique sound, and I can’t wait to hear him playing it live soon!
Track listing: 1. Here For It (featuring Ingrid Andress) 2. County Line 3. Praise The Lord (featuring Thomas Rhett) 4. Natural 5. Told You I Could Drink (featuring Lady A) 6. For What It’s Worth 7. Happy Song 8. Growing Pains 9. Throw It Back (featuring Keith Urban) 10. Thick 11. Cross Country (featuring Mickey Guyton) 12. Good For You 13. Don’t Look At Me 14. Alone At The Ranch Record label: Bad Realm Records/Atlantic Recording Corporation Release date: 9th September 2022
See Breland live in the UK this October:
11 October – Thekla, Bristol (with Russell Dickerson)
12 October – Electric Ballroom, London (with Russell Dickerson)
14 October – Saint Luke’s, Glasgow (with Russell Dickerson)
15 October – Academy 2, Manchester (with Russell Dickerson)
16 October – Empire Music Hall, Belfast (with Russell Dickerson)
18 October – O2 Institute2, Birmingham (with Russell Dickerson)
19 October – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham (with Russell Dickerson)
21 October – The Garage, London (as part of Country Music Week)
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