Album Review: “Time Will Tell” by Devon Gilfillian

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I might be a little late to the party, but I am here now to tell you about an irresistible new record that comes from Nashville’s own Devon Gilfillian.  Devon has been a big name around Tennessee for a few years, and I came across his music when he was the Artist of the Month on the publicly funded radio station 91.1 WNXP in Nashville.  On that note, be sure to support your local media formats anyway possible. WNXP does an excellent job in curating their playlists to bring you the very best indie music and not following the trends and algorithms of large corporate controlled radio stations. Because of stations like these, I have been able to discover so much great music that would have never organically popped up via streaming services or the latter. 

This is Devon’s third studio project, and it is called Time Will Tell and it pulls from all the various sounds that he grew up with in Philadelphia. The album is a landslide of rock, country, funk & soul that comes from his youth and listening to those classic tones that played throughout his home. Upon doing a deep dive into the artists’ background, his hero was Jimi Hendrix, who spent some time in Nashville (as he was stationed at the Army base in Clarksville) grooving with a lot of those legendary blues musicians at clubs downtown.  That’s what was inspiring Devon in high school, and eventually he picked up his gear and headed to Music City.  

The project dropped on June 26 (Concord Records) and was recorded at historic RCA Studio A in Nashville. He says that new album is inspired in part by the funky soundtracks of Quentin Tarantino’s movies, specifically that sampled David Axelrod music of the 1960s, the Shaft soundtrack by Isaac Hayes, and Bobby Womack’s “Across 110th Street.” It was produced by both his longtime drummer Jonathan Smalt and Neal H. Pogue (Tyler, The Creator and OutKast, among others). This combination of sonic collaboration has lent to a melting-pot of tonality that has expanded Devon’s sound and has opened a door to a new wave of sound. 

The first single that was released on the album is called ‘Hold On (Hourglass)’ and sounds like the perfect fit for a new Tarantino score. It engulfs you in adventure and pulls you through the plains in a galloping fashion, yet within this life-giving overture there is a sense of something lost, and the pursuit is of an intangible feeling much deeper than what we are presented on the surface. Maybe it is because he is not chasing anything at all but rather running from a situation or relationship.  The whole album seems to be surrounded by loss, fragility, and possibly regret.  It is a very personal album with many stories to tell.  

The rock and roll standout track is ‘Black Dog Rabbit Hole’ which is another single that WNXP has steadily kept in regular rotation by various DJ’s across their platform.  That Hendrix influence shines bright in this particular track as Gilfillian rips some deep-rooted electric riffs throughout the song that heightens the imagery of the lyrics. The drums back the buzz with a driving boom to move the song forward. “I love loud, aggressive guitars, I always have, and this song scratches that itch real good,” Gilfillian has said. “This is my no fucks given rocker about giving in to all your vices. Of course that’ll lead to a cycle of depression, hence the ‘black dog rabbit hole’ part, but hopefully, we always pull ourselves out.” 

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A lot of the record is introspective and pulls back from some past works that have been more about what was going on in society.  He has clearly grown and is now focusing on what he can control and is open about what is affecting him personally and spiritually.  His soulfulness is a catalyst for these songs. Life and near loss are clearly driving forces throughout the record.  Devon’s father suffered and survived a heart attack that got the artist moving down this pathway of exploration and creativity of a sonic highway that needed a storyteller.  His voice is astounding, charming, authentic, and the listener is pulled into an honest light of poetic lines laced with harmonic choruses.  

The layout of the tracks must also be applauded as the record is a linear tale, completed by the arrangement of its singular pieces.  This is perhaps the album that Devon Gilfillian has been preparing to make his entire life, and I believe that he keeps adding to this growth for the rest of his long career. The layers of emotional recognition are still being discovered, and the mastery of his instrumentations are yet to be perfected, so his ceiling is yet greater. Go give Time Will Tell a listen and be vulnerable to its messages and of course go support this talented musician on tour.  Living in the music is what it is all about. 

Devon Gilfillian’s Time Will Tell Album Tracklist: 

1. Time Will Tell 

2. Moonflower 

3. Hold On (Hourglass) 

4. IRL 

5. Black Dog Rabbit Hole 

6. Glad To Be Here 

7. Shines In You 

8. Let’s Stop Fucking Around 

9. Keep On Movin’ 

10. Some Days 

11. You Can Hate Me Now (feat. Madeline Edwards) 

12. Time (reprise) 

Devon Gilfillian Tour Happening Now