Dustin Brown's long awaited self-titled album debuts today, March 28th, on all streaming platforms. The album release party is open to the public tomorrow, March 29th, at The Cicada in Fort Worth, opened by Billy Hartman & Kerri Lick.
Produced by Ben Hussey, Alek Hand, & Brown at Melody Mountain Studios, this album is the poster child for today's Americana music. Brown makes it apparent in his songwriting & overall aesthetic that the working man is the backbone of this country, & it's not something to be romanticized if you're doing it for real. Between songs about river rat nightlife to hard hat blues, Brown covers all the memories a young man experiences growing up in a world meant to break your back.
This album includes heavy hitters in co-writing from Shelby Stone & Hartman, as well as harmony vocals from notable artists like Rachel Cole, Jack Pirtle, Mila Rae, & Jake Waylon.
"Dustin Brown" Self-Titled Album
- Skins and Shirts
- Falcon 9
- Burn
- River Road
- Baby Don't
- Ain't No Love
- Heartless
- 29th of March
- Hard Hats
- Old Houses
Brown gives a nod to songwriting local legend Hartman by introducing the album with the stamp of approval from Hartman's altar (haha get it?) ego, the Reverend, at the beginning of "Skins and Shirts." This track has an adolescent feel to it, like unruly teenagers throwing beers at stop signs from the back of a truck bed in the summer. It's in the indie rock electric guitar. There's something about the "HAH!" before the instrumental bridge that scratches the right part of your brain in a way that a cowboy quickening his horse does.
"Falcon 9" & "Burn" were pre-released singles about the current state of politics & giving your life away to calloused jobs. Brown sings "But I know you won't miss working every day / to break your back, have a heart attack for a dollar more a day" in "Burn" which was featured on 95.9 The Ranch. Both tunes have a blue collar southern rock feel with a hint of good ol' American rage.
Personal favorite from the album is "River Road." This song deserves an immediate add to your summer playlist. Brown perfectly describes letting steam off in the heat from "bloodied bare feet on the Guadalupe river" to seeing how long you can stay up on drinks & uppers until you start to hallucinate because life is too good to waste it on sleep. The electric guitar carries this song with a Texas Country feel meets Kacey Musgraves production.
"Aint No Love" is Brown's hand at the staple Texas city style song, calling out Austin, Amarillo, Dallas, & more. It's a lighthearted, easygoing anti-love track. Listeners will find themselves nodding their heads along in agreement to respective city woes or maybe it's to the solid beat?
"29th of March" gives this album a heartfelt acoustic break. Brown is raw & true in his writing about relationships, exposing feelings & experiences we struggle to grapple. This style of writing reminds me of "Elephant" by Jason Isbell in the way that he's describing relationship happenstances in a melancholic way. It's the good, the bad, the regretful-- an honest representation of boyish love & heart ache. This song feels fresh.
Even Brown's album art by Jess Tedder & Pecos McCool gives overall American vibes. The impressionist wildflower field with a big blue sky day feels right in line with this Americana collection of stories.
Check out the rest of Dustin Brown's album on your platform of choice. You can hear the album LIVE tomorrow at The Cicada. Doors at 8 PM. We'll see you there!
