Brian Grilli - Great Big Sky (2025) Hi-Res

On his new, third album, Great Big Sky, Brian offers songs that range from a Southern rock vibe through lighter heartland rock style fare, all with electric rock balladry and powerful extroverted delivery of emotional expression. The dominant theme here is affairs of the heart - oftentimes they’re ending and hurting, or long gone; and sometimes they’re overwhelmingly sweet and true; and once in a great while, they’re simple.

“Love Sweet Love” features Blackberry Smoke guitarist Charlie Starr on hot guitar solos to open the album in a rockin’ declaration of love:”play the hand you were dealt babe, you’re the light at the end of the tunnel, the net catching me when I fall.”

“Ain’t Gonna Be Easy” features Paul Jackson (Blackberry Smoke) and is a plea to be released from a desire state that’s simply not going to evolve into something better, or become a healthy love. “Leave Me Alone,” with Jeff Massey (Steepwater Band) adding guitar riffs, is one of those songs to an ex that you sort of wish you had never messed around with to begin with, heartfelt and honest “I was so blind.”

“Can You Feel It” is a pulsing rock song with an open power chords and electric guitar grooves with organ, and “I’ve always worn my heart on my sleeve / baby this you can believe / you know how to turn me on.”

“Love of a Hurting Kind” is sorrowful with only a faint glimmer of hope amidst powerful electric guitar oomph: “everything that we’ve been through, all I want is you, I’ve been up all night thinking, trying to flip the switch.” “Little Things” features Levi Lowery on low punctuations of fiddle tones, and this one is more of a hopeful story: “feel the breeze in your hair, smell a magnolia or two.” This song showcases Brian’s serious songwriting skills perhaps above all the rest - a philosophical expression of the important things in life.