Review: Kentucky Gentlemen- 'Rhinestone Revolution'

Some say everything that can be done in music has already been done, and, even in a genre as expansive as Americana, there isn't anything truly “new” being produced anymore. Allow me to debunk that myth by pointing to Kentucky Gentlemen. With their blend of classic '90s country, '00s R&B, cowboy anthems, and liberal doses of pop sheen, they're moving the Americana needle in a way not seen since Gangstagrass came onto the scene. On their new album, Rhinestone Revolution, they continue to forge that unique path.

Kentucky Gentlemen is a duo consisting of twin brothers Brandon and Derek Campbell. They've been kicking around Nashville's country scene for almost a decade, but Rhinestone Revolution is their full-length debut album. For their debut, they worked with a producer whose resume is as eclectic as their music, David “Messy” Mescon (Megan Maroney, Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande).

For a taste of just how wide-ranging their sound is, look no further than the album's debut single “Country Hymn.” On its face, it's a straightforward R&B ballad, but it's hard to deny the lyrical nods to country tropes: “rolling leads to hootin'/ hootin' leads to hollerin'/ next thing it's last call / and clothes get to fallin'.” The song also showcases the kind of tight harmonies that only come from a family act, especially when that relationship is between twins.

The album's most fun song is “Loose Screws.” Anyone with an eccentric family member or members (or who might be said family member) will find familiarity with the duo's stories of an aunt on her “umpteenth husband”, a cousin “selling funny looking ferns out of his greenhouse” before warning “don't try to act like it ain't you too.” With a percussive banjo background and a slick electric guitar wail, it's the album's upbeat highlight.

And speaking of banjos, there's the aptly titled old-time tinged “Banjo.” The song gives the brothers a chance to stretch their country twang and deliver quote-worthy lyrics like “I'm blue like a ridge, cryin' in Carolina / dug me a ditch / just to lay beside ya.”

Of course, no good “rhinestone revolution” would be proper without plenty of whiskey and in that, Kentucky Gentlemen deliver. There are sad whiskey and jukebox songs (“Hard Pill to Swallow”) and “getting over her” upbeat whiskey songs (“Whiskey Does”).

Elsewhere, the genre-bending continues. “Denim” has a disco beat interspersed with a banjo. “Country on My Mind” gives a nod to another genre-breaking country pioneer, Ray Charles. “Atta Boy” is an autobiographical and expansive R&B anthem about chasing your dreams. The lead single “Country Hymn” may be the first time someone tried combining yodels with hip-hop beats.”

Genre-bending is fun on its own merits. It's always nice to see someone expanding country and Americana music in new directions. But, at the end of the day, that kind of experimentation gives way to whether the music is actually good. In the case of Rhinestone Revolution, the answer is a resounding yes.