Brian Kelley’s “Acres”: The story behind the song

BEN CHRISTENSEN

When Florida Georgia Line decided to go it alone, Brian Kelley was arguably the harder choice, simply because of his established role in the duo.

Tyler Hubbard has one of the genre’s most recognizable voices, and he understandably took the lead on all of the pair’s singles, as well as most of the album tracks. Those signature FGL harmonies relied heavily on Kelley’s input, but he found himself in a similar position to Kristian Bush in Sugarland – a familiar face that country fans heard constantly, but rarely alone.

When Kelley turned to producer Dann Huff (Keith Urban, Kane Brown) for help with his second solo album, Tennessee Truthhe was thrilled by Huff’s appreciation for his tone.

“From the first meeting, he gave me so much confidence,” Kelley recalls. “He was a fan of my voice and was excited to work with me. And when Dan Huff said he could do it, you thought, ‘Sure.'”

And Huff really got it.

“Since he wasn’t the lead singer of the band, he really wants to express his personality and let people know that he can sing,” Huff agrees. “And I’ve always liked his voice. He has a beautiful tenor, almost reminiscent of Alan Jackson.”

Kelley is on a roll with his latest single, “Acres,” a bouncy release that is certainly indicative of his personality. It piles on brands and activities associated with one of his favorite vacation spots—including Mossy Oak clothing and a Chevrolet K5 Blazer—and frames those images with a melody that hits the sweet spot of his voice. At the end of most lines in the chorus, the penultimate syllable—“A-cres,” “Bla-zer”, “Ga-goal,” “take she” – lands on the same note repeatedly, creating tension within the key while highlighting one of the best sections of his vocal range.

“I think we found the groove for me, so it’s easy vocal-wise,” he says. “But it’s also driving and has character, and I can use my voice to its full potential.”

Kelley wrote “Acres” on June 15, 2023, 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”).

“I remember just strumming the fast chord progression of the intro on the guitar,” Sanders notes. “I thought I was just messing around, and Will was like, ‘Hey, this is really cool, don’t stop’ – and in true Will Weatherly fashion, he just blew the track out.”

Kelley chose the title “Acres” from a list on his phone and linked 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 to fish, hunt and relax. We’ve written songs there, we’ve driven around; we go on night rides and look for all kinds of things. It’s kind of like a safari atmosphere, you know, and, man, since we got married, it’s become a really special place.”

They started with the chorus, inserted brand names, and nearly every phrase aimed at the end of the line, the melodic sweet spot on the way to the chorus: “Put her in the middle of some acres.” The introduction was a bit of a challenge, but Sanders solved the puzzle during a break when he nailed the line “My baby loves it when I take her” along with a staccato melody.

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

Once this problem was solved, they began working on the verses, instinctively changing the sound. The melody shifted into a curved landscape and they left more space between the lines.

“As a singer, you selfishly have to take some time to breathe,” says Kelley.

For the listener, it offered enough variety from the fast-paced chorus to keep it interesting, but still felt like it connected naturally to the chorus.

“If you’re part of a song where (the verse) isn’t different enough, just believe me when I say you don’t want to listen,” Weatherly says. “You don’t want to hear the chorus a million times when the verse sounds like the same melody.”

They have created more variety in the bridge, where a building melody naturally leads the listener back to another run through the chorus. The bridge also allows for a subtle reference to “something that is in a pay-Per.”

“It just had to be in there somewhere,” Weatherly says. “It’s too aggressive for the verses and the chorus, but you can somehow work it into the bridge and maybe people won’t notice. And if they do, they’ll say something like, ‘Light up for us.'”

Sanders sang lead vocals on Weatherly’s demo, which was built around acoustic guitar and programmed drums. It provided a great template when Huff recorded instrumentals with Kelley at Nashville’s Sound Stage. They upped the tempo a few clicks, and Evan Hutchings’ punchy drums, Ilya Toshinskiy’s chiming acoustic guitar and some electric guitar sounds provided layers of rhythm beneath the leisurely melody of the verses. On the chorus, the electric guitars morphed into harder block chords to avoid clashing with Kelley.

“When you get into the chorus, the lyrics are so fast-paced,” Huff says. “We probably tried a few little jangle parts and stuff, but ultimately you don’t want to be distracted from the vocals at that point.”

A song about the outdoors needed a distinct country flair, so Huff brought in violinist Jenee Fleenor during overdubs and placed her in the middle of “Acres,” where she played a simple solo with a fitting sonic flair. “I thought it was awesome,” Weatherly says of Huff’s production.

Kelley’s wife Brittney agreed, believing that her husband came across better here than on any other solo track he’s ever recorded. “When I start the first verse,” Kelley says, “she says, ‘Man, that’s my man. Damn, I’m turning this thing up.'”

He made “Acres” the opening piece on Tennessee Truthwhich Big Machine released on May 10 and received immediate positive feedback. The label sent it to country radio stations via PlayMPE a month later, and Kelley is optimistic it will help him stand out further.

“Hopefully,” he says, “fans will soon be able to identify with BK.”