Album review: Bring You Back by Brett Eldredge

To say that I was happy that this album finally came out would be an understatement. I first saw Brett Eldredge open for Trace Adkins in Baltimore on July 1st, 2011. I don't always remember dates of concerts I go to, but I remember this one for two main reasons. The first: it was on my birthday. The second: I got to meet Trace Adkins at this show and that was pretty cool. This show also marks the time I truly became a Brett Eldredge fan. His debut single "Raymond" had come out the previous fall if I'm remembering correctly and I loved that song the first time I heard it. But I didn't know much about Brett outside of that single. Before the concert I liked the song; after the concert, I liked the man himself.

So I hate that it ended up taking so long for his debut album to come out. It seemed like it was constantly getting pushed back to the point where I was starting to worry that it would never come out. It's been a long couple of years on this front. I'm sure there's a ton of reasons why albums get pushed back. Legitimate reasons. But that doesn't make the wait any less frustrating for us, the fans, and to a likely greater extent, the artist. I always feel bad for the artist when this happens. The upside to the wait is that it gives them time to put together the best album possible. And I'd imagine that the wait makes the payoff worth it. This album debuted at #1 on the iTunes Country Albums shot and his single "Don't Ya" went #1 roughly around the same time and stayed there for two weeks. The comments I've seen about this album have by and large been very positive. 

Now I have a confession to make. Like I said, I've been waiting for this album for a long time. I can't remember the last time I anticipated a debut album so much. I wanted it bad. Me and every other Brett Eldredge fan out there. Here we have a guy who is a great performer with a great personality, a man who is one of the most entertaining people in the genre. Not a bad looking man either, if we're being honest here. A man who I would go as far to say is among the best male singers in the format. Every song I've heard him perform these past couple of years - whether live, on TV or online - I have loved. Every single one. So I had high expectations for this album. Very high expectations. To the point that I was actually a little nervous to listen to said album because I wondered if my expectations were a little too high. I needn't have worried.

I love this album. I think it was well worth the wait. More than worth the wait, perhaps. It's not just a strong debut album; it's a strong album period. I have to give a big kudos to everyone who was involved in the creation of Bring You Back. From Brett and all of the other songwriters to all of the fine musicians and the team of producers and the engineers. Not to mention all the other people involved behind the scenes. And I would like to thank his record label Atlantic Records/Warner Music Nashville for not giving up on Brett and for getting this album out. Money spent on this album is money I consider very well spent. 

Bring You Back features a great collection that go together very well, a fairly impressive feat when you consider that eight producers worked on this record. You'd think that would mess up the flow, but it doesn't somehow. I was pretty surprised to see just how many producers there were. Lots of terrific musicians on here too. I like the playing throughout and I especially like how the music never overshadows the vocal. I said it earlier: I believe Brett is one of the best male singers in the format. It would be a shame for him to get lost in the music and I was so happy that didn't happen. Brett co-wrote 11 of the 12 tracks, all "Bring You Back". There's something very relatable about these songs and that's always a good thing. This album has a warmth to it that I adore. A lot of that comes from Brett himself and the way he delivers these songs. There's a difference between singing a song and delivering a song and it's a difference that Brett seems to understand very well. I highly recommend that everyone go out and pick yourself up a copy if you haven't. You won't regret it. 

And that wraps up the main part of the review. If you just wanted a short (well, short-ish) read, than this is where you'll leave me. Thanks for stopping by! As always, I'm going to say a bit about each song individually after the break. So if you're in the mood for a longer  (i.e very long. Like very long.) read, than stick with me. 

First up: "Tell Me Where to Park". Great way to get things started. I like the way it starts and how the musicians kind of hang back during the first verse and kick it more for the chorus. The energy found throughout Bring You Back is pretty wonderful, starting off here and then continuing all the way to the end. It changes some as it goes, but it's always present. With this song the word vibey comes to mind and I'm not completely sure what that means. But I feel like it fits. Go with me here. 

"Don't Ya". I did a review of this song, which you can find here if you'd like to check it out. Basically, I like this song. I find it charming, which is good because songs in this vein can be kind of sleazy. It's all in how it's presented. "Don't Ya" is coming from a lighthearted place and has a playfulness to it I enjoy. Good groove to this one.

"Bring You Back". I seem to like this one more the more I listen to it. This is a relationship song where the girl has pretty much lost faith on their love and he's vowing to bring her back to love. I think that's so beautiful. This guy making this declaration and refusing to give up, even though she has. I really like the lyrics in this one.

"On and On". I pegged this one as one of my early favorites. A song about a guy who is so infatuated with this girl that he can't stop talking about her. I think this is something we can relate to because at some point you've been stuck on someone and weren't able to shut up about them. This song has such a great groove; I can never seem to sit still while listening to it. It just feels good, you know? 

"Gotta Get There". About a guy who needs to get to where his woman is in whatever way possible because they've been apart for way too long. This song makes me smile, especially the line "Well, can't you hear the miss you in my voice?" Sweet song with a great feel.

"One Mississippi". The first true ballad of the album and yeah, remember when earlier when I said I thought Brett was one of the best male singers in the format? I said it twice? Well, listen to this and you'll hear why I believe that. This is not to say that there's been anything wrong with any of his vocals up until this point; they're all good. But this song shows off his voice in a way the others don't. Another of my favorites. I remember when he did this at that show in Baltimore. As good as it sounds here, it's better live. This song is beautifully written, about a man counting the seconds as he watches his love leaving. Some of the lyrics: "Lipstick on a coffee cup/  I know I should wash it up/ But maybe I'll just wait here for a little while/ Run my fingers 'round the top where your lips were I just stop/ Cause I, I can almost see your smile" and part of the chorus, "And it's one Mississippi, two Mississippi/ Counting down the seconds/ Standing in the wreckage of love". This song gets me and then the last "one Mississippi". Yeah, give this man a Male Vocalist of the Year nomination. Like now. One of the highlights of the album for me. Without question.

"Beat of the Music". I believe that this is the new single, a nice pick me up after the sadness of the last song. Fun feel to this one, one that you'll want to listen to with the windows down and the volume up. Another one where it's nearly impossible to stay still while listening.

"Waited Too Long". Oh look what we have here, another great ballad that goes to show off Brett's vocal ability. I think I could listen to him sing absolutely anything, but I really do believe that ballads are where he truly shines. He has a lot of soul in his voice and it's songs like this that really bring it out. 

"Mean To Me". In which he sings about how much the woman in his life means to him. I kind of adore this song. It's such a sweet lyric. My favorite verse: "If I could be the fire in your firefly/ The cool in the rain/ The spark in your eye/ The answer to your prayer/ And the faith that sets you free/ Then I'd be what you mean to me". All together now: aww. 

"Signs". Another of my early favorites. I really like this one. Much like "Beat of the Music", this is one best listened to with the volume cranked up and the windows down. Great feel! 

"Raymond". Ah, the one that started it all. I was curious to see if they'd include this it on this album and was happy that they did. This song is Song of the Year worthy in my book. I have a love/hate feeling about songs about diseases. On one hand, they can be emotional and heartbreaking and meaningful. On the other, they can come across as insincere, like the only reason it was recorded was so the artist could have a message song - a message that they really don't seem to care about. "Raymond" falls into the first category. See, what makes this song great is not the subject matter as much as it is what said subject matter (Alzheimer's disease) means to Brett. He's said that this song was inspired by his grandmother's struggle with the disease. This song came from a very real place, stemming from real emotions and written (well co-written; Brett wrote this Brad Crisler) by someone who has seen first hand what this disease does. That's what makes this song wonderful.

"Go On Without Me". Always interesting to see how they decide to close out an album. It's hard to beat a powerful song with a strong message and that's what this is. This song is big time. I could totally picture it being a movie theme song. It's that big. It's from the perspective of someone who has passed on and is encouraging someone they love to go on without them, to not cry over losing them because they still have a life to live. And to know that they aren't alone because they (the person who has passed on) will always be with them. It's a beautiful song and I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me cry. The perfect way to close out this album.

So yeah. Go and pick yourself up a copy if you haven't already. If you made it to this point, I applaud you. I had a lot to say about this one! Thanks for reading!