Dustin Brown is a Texan artist from Moody, Texas. He released his third LP, a self-titled album, via Smith Music Group, on March 28th. Coproduced with Ben Hussey, its 10 songs were all written by Dustin Brown. Writing songs since the age of 12, the Texan artist is a talented songwriter whose heroes are Blaze Foley, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle and Billy Joe Shaver.
This album doesn’t belong to a specific genre, but brilliantly blends elements of americana, indie and southern rock, red dirt, folk, country, blues and roots music, with excellent songwriting and blue-collar vibes.
The album opens with the wonderful “Skins and Shirts“, probably my favorite song on this record. Melodic, excellently written, full of energy and rhythm, with strong electric guitars and some red dirt vibes, it’s a very cacthy song that you can easily listen to on repeat.
“Burn“, released as a single on February 28th, is a very emotional song about growing up and entering a new moment of your life. With honest and relatable lyrics and indie rock vibes, it’s a powerful and catchy song that you’ll keep in your mind a long time after you’ve listened to it.
“Falcon 9“, released as a single on January 31st, is a rock-infused song, with great electric guitars and drums, about the decay of an American small town. Gritty and raw, with incisive lyrics, it’s one of the most brilliant songs present on this album.
“River Road” is another fantastic track. Very melodic and authentic, with Rachel Cole as backing vocals, it’s a folk-style song with masterful songwriting that you can easily have on repeat.
“Heartless“, also including the backing vocals of Rachel Cole, is another outstading song, emotional and catchy, and excellently written.
You’ll also appreciate “Hard Hats“, a beautiful song with blue-collar and bluesy vibes, and the brilliant “Ain’t No Love“, another bluesy-infused song, wonderfully written.
Dusty Brown’s self-titled album is a honest and authentic record, brilliantly written, with incisive and relatable lyrics. The Texan artist is a very talented songwriter that you absolutely need to know and listen to if you love quality music and great storytelling.
Nicolas Davelu
Country Music France 