Photo: Getty Images, COURTESY OF THE KELLEY FAMILY // ART DESIGN: JAKE WITSKEN
Brian Kelley paid tribute to his parents with the new project he debuted on Friday (October 25).
Kelley delivered his sophomore solo studio album — his second to release this year — with 12 “authentic and diverse songs of the hitmaker’s already-groundbreaking career,” states a press release issued Friday morning. Kelley’s Ed & Mary Margaret’s Son includes a dozen tracks written solely by the Florida-born country star. It arrives shortly after Kelley’s parents celebrated their 51st anniversary.
“I’m probably more excited than ever to be making music and writing songs. I’m in a place in my life where I’m going to record and write whatever I want and put it out whenever I want, and that excites me. I just have so much freedom to go wherever my creativity and my authenticity takes me. So that just fires me up,” Kelley said in the release. “To be honest with you, this record caught me off guard. But once I had an inkling of what it could be, and what was happening, it was a moment I didn’t want to pass up.”
Ed & Mary Margaret’s Son arrives less than six months after Kelley released Tennessee Truth earlier this year, featuring “Acres,” “How We’re Livin’,” “See You Next Summer,” “Kiss My Boots” and more. His newest record takes a deeper look into Kelley’s family and lifestyle with “vivid personal themes” and “unique clarity of voice.” Kelley recorded the album and produced it with Katlin Owen and Caleb Gilbreath. The album includes the title track, “Hold On, Cowboy,” “Put Myself On,” “If I Go First” and more.
“What I want fans to know and feel is that these are all brand-new songs,” Kelley said in a statement. “These aren’t songs that were written two or three years ago, this is a chapter in time. It’s a season, and the way this record sounds, it’s the soundtrack to my life these past couple months. So, I just went for it.”
Find the full album on iHeartRadio here.
1. “Rockin’ Randall”
2. “Sh*t Kickers”
3. “Cowboy Gold”
4. “Hit A Lick”
5. “Heaven In A Holler”
6. “Ed & Mary Margaret’s Son”
7. “The Board”
8. “Hold On, Cowboy”
9. “Put Myself On”
10. “Too Pretty A Place To Fight”
11. “If I Go First”
12. “Back Pocket Blues”