How Brian Kelley Defined His Country Field Position With 'Acres'

When Florida Georgia Line decided to go in solo directions, Brian Kelley arguably had the hardest ride, simply because of his established role in the duo.

Tyler Hubbard has one of the most recognizable voices in the genre and naturally took the lead on all of the pair's singles as well as most of the album cuts. Those commercial FGL harmonies relied heavily on Kelley's input, but he found himself in the same position as Kristian Bush in Sugarland—a familiar face that country fans heard all the time, but rarely on his own.

So when Kelley turned to producer Dann Huff (Keith Urban, Kane Brown) for help with his second solo album, Tennessee Truesparked by Huff's appreciation of his tone.

“From the first meeting, he gave me so much confidence,” Kelley reflects. “He was a fan of my voice and he was excited to go to work, and when Dan Huff says he got it, you're like, 'Hell, yeah.' “

And Huff really got it.

“Because he wasn't the singer in the band, I think he really wants to stamp his personality, let people know he can sing,” agrees Huff. “And I always enjoyed his voice. He has a beautiful, almost Alan Jackson-esque tenor.”

Kelley is set for success on his latest single, “Acres,” an upbeat release that certainly stamps his personality. He gathers brands and activities associated with one of his favorite escapes—including Mossy Oak clothing and a Chevrolet K5 Blazer—and frames those images with a melody that hits the sweet spot in his voice. At the end of most lines in the chorus, the next to last syllable – “one-cres,” “Blah-zer,” “Ga-tor,” “I get her” — repeatedly lands on the same note, one that creates tension in the key signature even as it highlights one of the best parts of his line.

“I think we got it in the groove key for me where it's easy, vocal-wise,” he says. “But it's also pushy and in character, and I get to use my voice to the fullest.”

Kelley wrote “Acres” at his home in Middle Tennessee with Adam Sanders (“Ain't Worth the Whiskey,” “Hell of a Night”) and Will Weatherly (“Good As You,” “Thinking 'Bout You “) on June 15. , 2023.

“I remember just strumming the guitar, the quick chord progression of the intro,” notes Sanders. “I thought I was just playing around and Will said, 'Hey, that's really cool, don't stop' – and in true Will Weatherly fashion, he just got the part.”

Kelley picked the title “Acres” from a list on his phone and tied it to a piece of land owned by his in-laws in Georgia.

“We go there once or twice, sometimes three times a year,” Kelley says. “It's a place where you can fish, hunt, relax. We've written songs out there, we've toured. we will take night walks, looking for all kinds. It's a bit of a safari vibe, you know, and, man, it's become a really special place since we got married.'

They started from the chorus, linking up brand names, with almost every line heading towards the end of the line, melodically sweet spot on the way to the hook: “Put her in the middle some acres.” The setup line was a bit of a challenge, though Sanders solved the puzzle in one break when he got the line, “My baby loves it when I take it,” along with a staccato melody.

“When I found that it worked at the end of the chorus, in the middle of the chorus, and at the end of the verse, and I put all three in the same places with the same melody, it kind of became the glue that held everything together. says Saunders. “Once we got it, it was like it was writing itself.”

With that settled, they began working on the lyrics, where they instinctively altered the sound. The melody shifted to a curved landscape and they left more space between the lines.

“Selfishly, as a singer, you have to have some time to breathe,” says Kelley.

For the listener, it provided enough of a departure from the rapid-fire chorus to keep it interesting, though it still felt naturally connected to the chorus.

“If you're part of a song where [the verse] it's not different enough, just trust me when I tell you that you don't want to hear,” says Weatherly. “You don't want to hear the chorus a million times if the verse sounds like the same tune.”

They created more variations on the bridge, where a building melody naturally leads the listener back for another run through the chorus. The bridge also allows for a subtle reference to “something that rolled a payment-per.”

“It just had to be in there somewhere,” says Weatherly. “That's too aggressive for the verses and the chorus, but you can put it in the bridge and maybe people won't notice. And if they do, then it's kind of like, “Light one for us.” “

Sanders sang lead on Weatherly's demo, built around acoustic guitar and programmed drums. She provided a great role model when Huff cut tracks with Kelley at Nashville's Sound Stage. They picked up the pace a few clicks, and Evan Hutching's hard-hitting drums, Ilya Toshinskiy's acoustic guitar, and some electric guitar riffs offered layers of rhythm beneath the laid-back melody of the lyrics. On the chorus, the electric guitars morphed into heavier block chords to avoid clashing with Kelley.

“When you get into the chorus, it's such a fast verse,” Huff says. “We probably tried a few little jangle parts and things like that, but ultimately, you don't want to stray from the vocals at that point.”

A song about life in the country needed some distinctly country flavor, so during the overdubs, Huff brought in Jenee Fleenor's fiddle and put her in the middle of “Acres,” playing a simple solo with just the right sonic flavor. “I thought it was tacky,” Weatherly says of Huff's production.

Kelley's wife, Brittney, thought so too, as she thought it showcased her husband better than any solo track he's recorded to date. “When I get into the first verse,” Kelley says, “it's, 'Man, that's my man. Hell, I'm going to flip this thing.” “

He made “Acres” the opening track Tennessee True, which Big Machine released on May 10th to immediate positive reviews. The label sent it to country radio via PlayMPE a month later, and Kelley is optimistic that it will help further distinguish him.

“Hopefully,” he says, “fans will start to identify with BK.”