It’s no secret that country music is flooded with male artists. If you live in Nashville, you could throw a rock in any direction and hit one. (Don’t do that though, please.)
They come in all different shapes and sizes, all with different stories and songwriting styles and yet many of them share something in common: they sing about things they’ve never experienced. Melodic tales of lost love, lost homes and working their fingers to the bone. Entire careers are built on rough-and-tumble personas that dont quite match personal experience.
Bryan Martin, however, is not one of those guys.
Martin has lived the stories he tells. When he sings about working on an oil rig and swinging a hammer, he has the scars to prove it. When he writes about overcoming addiction, he’s done it. As much as the word “authentic” is tossed around press releases, social media posts and published articles advertising the next big Nashville star, Bryan Martin has earned the label.
“I may not be swinging a hammer physically, but I’m still swinging one mentally,” he said in a recent interview. Not one to hold back from diving into his, at times, messy past, Martin will tell you exactly how it is and sing about it to.
His latest release “Wolves Cry” is the perfect example of the true grit and gumption that Martin brings to the country music scene.
The track begins with a twangy, ear-catching riff, haunting vocals and immediately makes you wonder if you’re about to watch an intense episode of “Yellowstone.”
Martin’s cutting vocals pierce through the first verse, telling the listener about where he comes from. The real “roughneck” asserts himself from the get-go, painting a dark but triumphant picture of protecting what is his.
“Wolves Cry” is an anthem for a unseen and underappreciate people group. While everyone loves to hear about the cowboys, Martin sheds light on the other side of the fence. “We all have that mentality of “This is mine, I don’t want you to take it. Regardless of race or color or creed, this whole world is built off of things being taken from others and there’s always going to be resistance. This song is about that resistance.””
Though we know the meaning behind “Wolves Cry” for Martin, he wrote it in such a way that we can all relate. I would challenge anyone to listen to it and not feel an intense resolve rise up in their spirits about any situation in their life where they feel robbed, taken advantage of or abused. “Wolves Cry” is an battle cry for all of us, a brooding song of boundaries, a dirge of defending ourselves, a flame to set a fire in our hearts to rise up in each and every one of our own situations and proclaim, “I’ll leave you where you lie” to anyone who dares set foot where they shouldn’t be in our lives.
Follow Bryan Martin on social media and listen to “Wolves Cry” available everywhere now.
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