Brian Keith Wallen Music

"The Darkest Light"

An appropriate title for the latest project from Indiana singer songwriter Brian Keith Wallen, a man who describes himself as "obsessed" with the contrast between darkness and light, and the effect that both have on life.

"I wanted to get deeper than I ever have on this project. With my songwriting, with my playing...I just wanted to tell a story," says Wallen. "I've basically written my life out here. And it was hard for me to do that, but the passion I have for these songs, and the way I deliver them as a result...it had to be this way. Really, all of these songs are about relationships, which is something I hadn't tackled much before, not just in songwriting, but in my personal life. I've heard it said by many that relationships are the best way we have of finding out who we are, and I really found out just how true that is in the past year. That is the inspiration for the majority of these songs."

As with all of his projects, Brian produced “The Darkest Light”, wrote all of the songs on the project, and played all the instruments. And you'll hear more of them on this collection of songs than on any of Brian's other projects. "I really tried to get creative this time, because I was approaching this album in a different way. The recording and arranging process this time was about finding the best way to tell the story of the song, so I used everything I had. Acoustics, electrics, resonators, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, piano, drums, percussion, lots of effects that I never would have used before, anything to get the message of these songs across."

With all of these instruments involved, Brian says his sound is definitely progressing. "It's just a natural evolution. All of the characteristics that my music had before are just getting more well defined. There's a bluesy undercurrent. My bluegrass/country roots are there. My rock influences are showing up. I'm excited about hearing my sound continue to develop, and...I really think everybody is really going to like what they hear."