Self-Released

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A step forward from his 2007 self-titled debut, this EP—the first half of his GRAVITY album—finds the Greenville, South Carolina-born Ansel Brown exploring new contexts for his return to the fray, following a period of personal and health challenges. His enforced years away from music were not wasted. An inventor, creative entrepreneur, and philanthropist, he’s written songs for NASA events, appeared in independent films, and partnered with youth, veterans, and faith-based charity organisations. He remained driven by his passion for music as he struggled to hold his family together, with the power of his belief in second chances. Realigning with producer Cliff Downs, who he worked with all those years ago, he has wrought a defining statement, a culmination of his journey through struggle, heartbreak, and ultimately, healing. Though he only co-wrote a couple of the seven songs, the tunes selected from such writers as Liz Hengber, Rob Crosby, Jim Collins, Skip Black and Brent Bowers, all reflect Ansel’s own experiences of standing back up after life knocks you down. He’s split GRAVITY into THE RISE (the journey back) and FALLING INTO PLACE (finally making it).

This first instalment feels like a more mature set of songs and performances, even as he retains his earnest posture all the while. Virtuosity, and restraint abounds, as Ansel manages to be both refreshingly original and reliably familiar at the same time. The music spans rootsy rock and heart-tugging country balladry, illuminating his impressive voice and ability to wring out every last drop of emotion. He sings with a trusted gravitas and polished reflection, reminiscent of Collin Raye, but with slightly more of an edge. This is music born of tradition, where you can still smell the earth hanging from its roots.

Ansel kicks off the proceedings with The Whiskey Makes Her Miss Me¸ a retro-country influenced break-up song, laced with a vibrant arrangement that entices you in. As the song builds layer by layer on the strains of solid bass lines, soulful keyboards and guitar, it spirals forward with both a resigned and a defiant mood. The whole studio band locks into place with near-effortless chemistry. Finger-picked guitar sets up the delicate Forevermore. An emotional story of a long-lasting romance that showcases funky guitar lines and warm and dramatic vocals. An anachronistic miracle, that makes you realise the humble power of the human voice. Even more powerful is the co-written Hold This Hurt, the kind of big-ballad male song that has sadly been missing from radio airwaves in recent years. Ansel demonstrates that he’s up for the job as he shows how heartache and heartbreak can make you want to sway and wave your hands in the air.

We Make America Run is a barnstorming Americana musical juggernaut unleashing an endless singalong groove that gets inside your head and doesn’t want to leave. This driving anthemic song celebrates the workers from all walks of life that keep things in America turning over. The tune ultimately shows Ansel’s penchant for selecting songs with straightforward lyrics that resonate in a big way. It is rather well-produced and ready to make a long-lasting impact. Be sure to crank this one up. More Cowbell is an aggressive and muscular song about breaking away from all the stress of life by switching off after a hard workday with loud, loud music. Led by Ansel’s powerful voice and underscored by blazing guitars and thumping drums, it’s the sort of song where you hope the final chorus is just everybody going for it at once, and lo, so it is. He sums up this collection with Where I Wanna Be, another stunning co-written ballad, that shows that he is exactly where he needs to be in his life and sets the listener up for the second instalment EP due out early next year.

https://anselbrown.com

October 2025