Brantley Gilbert Releases 'What Happens In A Small Town' With Lindsay Ell

Brantley Gilbert is back at radio with a brand-new song! The singer just released "What Happens In A Small Town," a duet with powerhouse vocalist Lindsay Ell. The song is the debut single from an upcoming new album.

"I think everybody's lived this," Gilbert said of the song. "There's that one person, and you can't quite shake 'em. You can break up, but you don't let go. And you know, it's never worse than at the holidays. So, when we were talking to [Big Machine Label Group CEO Scott Borchetta] about the song, we realized it needs to be out now, when it can – maybe – do people some good."

The song, which says, "Cause what happens in a small town stays in a small town / Every back road we've ever gone down / Friday night bleachers, Sunday pews / Ain't a county line mile without a memory of you / Every whisper, every room I walk in / Every time the bartender fills it up again / Everybody knows why I'm here / And you ain't around," is a heartbreaking song that might might seem an unlikely choice to release at Christmas. But according to Gilbert, the timing is perfect.

"It's not exactly a Christmas song," Gilbert explained of the ballad. "But at this time of year, most people really do have a harder time with this sort of thing. The holidays can make it terrible, or maybe make people figure stuff out. So I'm glad we're able to do something a little outside the box, something that plugs straight into the BG Nation with a song that might just make the holidays turn out a little different than they started."

Ell poured her all into the message behind "What Happens In A Small Town," drawing on the pain to deliver an unforgettable performance.

"Music, especially music that rocks like this, crashes through pride, ego and whatever else is in the way," Ell said. "Being able to play on this opened up the feelings to me. When I went in to do the vocal, it was all about really channeling that pain."

Gilbert's last album, The Devil Don't Sleep, was released in 2017. The record included two Top 20 singles, "The Weekend" and "The Ones That Like Me." The tunesmith hints a new album and tour will both be announced shortly for 2019. Updates will be posted at BrantleyGilbert.com.

Download "What Happens In A Small Town" on iTunes.

Photo Credit: Getty images/Alberto E. Rodriguez