Grant Gilbert has released his new LP West of Fort Worth via River House Artists. The album finds him leaning even deeper into his Texas roots, combining his love of the Texas country he was raised on with the arena-ready rock music of Springsteen and Creedence Clearwater Revival. He also released the new single “Where Do Dreams Go”, a bittersweet track that tells the story of a cast of characters trying to make ends meet in an unforgiving world while ultimately holding on to hope. The song was featured at Holler, who called it “…a solid slice of steering wheel tapping, country tinged heartland rock. Blending the swagger of ’80s Don Henley with the neo-traditional honky tonk sensibilities of Midland.”
On the new album, Gilbert reflects: “This album feels a little bit like coming home. The songs come from a real place, based on growing up in Texas and learning hard lessons. West of Fort Worth is a snapshot of where I’ve been, who I am, and where I’m headed next.”
To preview the album, Gilbert has released a slew of singles including “Bad Reputation,” his defiant collaboration with tourmate and fellow Texan Hudson Westbrook, which has already racked up nearly a million streams on Spotify. The song arrived on the heels of the anthemic title track, which pays homage to his Texas heritage, and last year’s “Drunk Since Dallas,” which marked his third consecutive #1 at Texas regional radio. On the new LP, Gilbert has teamed up with producer Lukas Scott (Hudson Westbrook, Austin Snell) and a collection of well-respected songwriters like Dan Alley (Jon Pardi, Luke Bryan, Lainey Wilson), Brent Anderson (Scotty McCreery, Blake Shelton) and Joey Hendricks (Lady A, Dillon Carmichael, Nate Smith).
Growing up on a cattle ranch in tiny Santo, Texas, Gilbert had a strong work ethic and a love of country music instilled in him at a young age. He was just a kid when he started playing guitar, and by the time he arrived at college in Lubbock, he was playing his own songs around town. He soon snagged a coveted weekly residency at the famed Blue Light where artists like Wade Bowen, William Clark Green and Josh Abbott also cut their teeth. Folks began to take notice, and in 2019, he released the million-plus streamer “Held On To” which kickstarted a new phase of his career.
Teetering between rollicking bar anthems, tender love songs and tracks that tell stories of the everyday American, West of Fort Worth further solidifies Gilbert’s soulful rock-influenced country sound. It follows 2023’s Between the Highways EP, which was produced by Jonathan Singleton (Luke Combs, Zac Brown Band), featured co-writes with Nashville heavy-hitters like Jessie Jo Dillon and a collaboration with the Josh Abbott Band. For the first time, it sees him fully taking the reins, crafting a fully realized statement on who Grant Gilbert is now. All of this comes as he celebrates over 19 million global career streams and wraps up a tour with rising country star Hudson Westbrook.