NEW YORK — Allow Brian Kelley to reintroduce himself.
Best known as one half of country superduo Florida Georgia Line, Kelley will release a solo album, “Tennessee Truth,” on Friday. It’s a collection of 12 country anthems, ready for a road trip and tailgate in equal measure.
For “Tennessee Truth,” produced by Dann Huff, Kelley says he aimed to “delve into the music I grew up with — obviously the music I love and themes of country life, rural life, hard work, good times, the outdoors. , love,” he told The Associated Press from his home in Nashville.
Good songwriting, Kelley says, is a lot like fishing—you need patience. “I wrote probably over 100 songs for this record.”
Eight of the album’s 12 songs were written by Kelley, and he worked with whoever he could on the others, trying to step out of his comfort zone. “Each song takes you to the next,” he says.
“I think it’s a fun record,” he says, adding that the creative process depended on translating these tracks live.
Geography still plays a prominent role in the music Kelley makes. Throughout “Tennessee Truth” are beaches in Florida, farms in Nashville, his wife’s family farm in Georgia. Hunting, sitting on the porch drinking sweet tea and eating peanuts, talking to loved ones – that’s the kind of life he hopes appears on the album. “Just be free,” he says.
Fans looking for more coastal country from Kelley — like what was found on her pandemic album, “Sunshine State of Mind,” released in 2020 — will want to skip to “10 O’Clock On The Dock.”
“It was a passion project,” he says of “Sunshine State of Mind.” “It was just supposed to be its own little thing.”
Kelley says he also made that record thinking about recording solo and with Florida Georgia Line. “I did it with a sound respect for who we were, what we had done and what we had built. So, I didn’t want to step on anything even close to that, out of respect, you know?”
He says he considers “Tennessee Truth” his true solo debut.
In 2022, Florida Georgia Line went on indefinite hiatus. At that point, the duo Kelley and Tyler Hubbard had been together for over a decade, and whether you were a fan of their country sound or not, their music (“Cruise,” “Meant to Be,” “Round Here”) set the tone. for a generation of country fans. The following year, Hubbard released a self-titled debut solo album.
“I’m grateful that (Brian) had the courage to step into this new space and make that decision that ultimately kind of pushed me to make the same decision and led me to where I am now,” Hubbard told the AP at A Hour. “Some people told me that it couldn’t be done and that I should definitely stick with FGL, and that kind of lit a spark in me, a fire.”
The closing song on “Tennessee Truth” is the aggressive “Kiss My Boots,” which features Kelley delivering vinegary lyrics like: “I want the world to know that you did me wrong / I don’t know how you act sweet, after how you did me did / Here’s a middle finger to you through a song. Some fans theorize it’s a direct message to Hubbard.
“I read some of that too,” Kelley says, adding that he understands people can make associations to find meaning in the song.
“But at the end of the day,” he says, music means a lot of different things to its collaborators, “And it really means a lot of different things to me.
“I really released this song because I wanted people to know that I’m a real human being, and I’m not just a face on social media or someone who’s had some success,” he adds. I went through difficult times in my life.”
But could there be a reunion on the horizon?
“The old saying goes, ‘Tell God your plans and he will laugh,’” he says. “So, I have no idea. I really don’t know what the future holds. I know I’m really focused on what I’m doing right now and I’m really proud… of the work I’ve done.”
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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Dann Huff’s first name and the song title “10 O’Clock On The Dock.”
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
