Brantley Gilbert May Release Breakup Ballad as Radio Single

Brantley Gilbert is best known for his high-energy country anthems, but the singer-songwriter says he may release a heartbreak ballad as a single from his new album, 'Just As I Am.'

The album's lead single, 'Bottoms Up,' is representative of Gilbert's style of rocking country, and so is 'Small Town Throwdown,' which features Thomas Rhett and Justin Moore. But 'Just As I Am' also includes some more introspective tracks, including one standout titled 'I'm Gone.'

“Every good country record needs a breakup song, and I just so happened to have one of those in the past couple of years,” Gilbert tells Taste of Country, in reference to his high-profile relationship and breakup with Jana Kramer. “There’s a song on there called ‘I’m Gone’ . . . that one may be one of the ones.”

He relates, “That one kind of had a life of its own. I sat down with Wendell Mobley for the beginning of that one, and then it kinda grew legs and took off. It turned out really good.”

Gilbert was one of the headliners for the second annual Taste of Country Music Festival, which kicked off Friday night (June 13) at Hunter Mountain in New York.