Fifteen years after the release of his debut album, Brantley Gilbert knows life has a way of leaving a mark. You can either hide it or embrace it. With his seventh studio album, TATTOOS, set for release September 13 via The Valory Music Co., the Georgia native embraces it – inspired by the idea that his tattoos tell a story, just like his songs. And just like his songs, he’ll never hide the truth they reveal.
“All my albums, they capture a chapter of my life,” Gilbert explains. “If somebody wants to know who I am, what I’ve been through and where I stand, they can start at the beginning and listen through, and that’s why it was undeniable that Tattoos should be the title – because my tattoos do the same thing.
“People get ‘em for a lot of reasons, but for most of us, tattoos talk about our victories and losses, our struggles and the whole nine,” he observes. “I was one of those kids who had to learn the hard way. But if I would’ve listened to the advice of others, I don’t know I would have ended up where I am.”
Featuring 10 songs all co-written by Gilbert with a trusted cast of long-time collaborators, the set matches Gilbert’s ink in both striking design and depth of meaning. Through flowing curves and jagged lines, shadow and light look back on a life of blue-collar pride and full-throttle rebellion – along with addictive love, abiding faith and blessings beyond what any of us deserve.
Gilbert shares a preview of the forthcoming project with “Me And My House” ft. Struggle Jennings and Demun Jones, a hand-over-heart declaration of purpose and a defiant tip of the hat to the independent Country Rap world Gilbert has always admired, as each collaborator wrote and performed their own verses.
“I believe that all of us are the kings and queens of our own castle, and I would never in a million years tell somebody how to run their home,” shares Gilbert. “It’s just about sharing how we run ours, what home is to us. I think it’s a song people won’t just relate to; I think it’s a song we need.”
In celebration of his new album TATTOOS, Gilbert will headline Brantley Gilbert’s World’s Largest Album Release Party on Broadway in downtown Nashville on Friday, September 13. The free multi-artist concert is part of FREEDOM FRIDAY events kicking off the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix weekend (September 13-15). Presented by 1st Phorm Energy, with additional partnership from Rousch, Polaris, and Modern Buggy, the 4th annual FREEDOM FRIDAY event honors members of the Military, Police, Fire, First Responders and Frontline Heroes. The 160th Special Ops Aviation Regiment will perform a helicopter aerial demonstration and a pre-concert flyover by the 101st Airborne Division.
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