Travis Collins at the dag pub

Travis Collins

Brave & The Broken
ABC Music / Universal

Fans and industry insiders alike continue to lavish country-rock powerhouse Travis Collins with gold. The decorated star closed out the summer a six-time Golden Guitar winner and back-to-back CMC Male Artist of the Year. The 2017 CMC Oz Artist of the Year also jump-started this year’s festival circuit in style with an appearance at another monumental CMC Rocks. Between red carpet appearances and towering festival sets, Collins was hard at work on landmark sixth studio album Brave & The Broken.
Brave & The Broken tails a string of tearaway hit records for Travis Collins. Previous solo outing Hard Light (2016) broke the Top 20 on the overall ARIA Albums Chart, spawning a trio of No.1 hit singles and netting Collins three Golden Guitars in 2017, for Male Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, and Single of the Year.
A powerfully dynamic guitarist, vocalist, and live performer, with Brave & The Broken, Travis Collins continues to excite as a songwriter. Continuing a trend begun with Hard Light, Collins either wrote or co-wrote every track on Brave & The Broken. Joining Collins in the writing room were some of Nashville’s foremost composers, including Jason Duke (Keith Urban) and Dave Turnbull (Luke Bryan).
“As I wrote this record, something that was naturally coming through was me paying tribute and homage to volunteers,” Collins explains. “There’s a lot of stuff that comes through on this record about country people, and people in general, who want to help one another. No matter where you go, there’s always a mix of the brave and the broken. It’s all about hoping that we all leave a little more brave than we are broken.”
It’s a worthy goal that finds its clearest expression in tracks including uplifting anthem of hope ‘It’s Just Music’, and atmospheric salute to heroes of all kinds ‘Unsung’.
In January this year, armed with the songs that would become Brave & The Broken, Collins returned to Nashville for a whirlwind recording session with producer-of-the-moment Luke Wooten (Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley) and a handpicked band of incomparable session musicians.
With its irresistible throb of overdriven guitars, fluting keys, and the power and verve of Collins’ soaring vocal, opener ‘Church of Rock and Roll’ is a belting country-rock stomp—and a blueprint for a good time to follow.

Collins’ evocative croon moves delicately-swaying country devotional ‘Days With You’, lead single and earthy torch song ‘High Horse’ harnesses a powerful heartland rock chug to Collins mesmerising vocal performance, while ‘Straight Up Fire’ is set to burn up airwaves and receivers everywhere with its supercharged classic rock pulse.
“I do like to keep that traditional country sound,” Collins says of the sonic landscape of Brave & The Broken. “I think there are a lot of bigger pockets and grooves on Brave & The Broken than there were on the last record.”
At the end of the day, Collins’ message with Brave & The Broken is clear:
“At the very crux of this album, it’s about finding something that’s good for your heart, and latching onto it.”
With Brave & The Broken, Travis Collins is certain to achieve two things above all others: start hearts, and mend them.