Nashville artist Devon Gilfillian bears his soul on new album 'Love You Anyway'

When Devon Gilfillian moved to Nashville, he did what any musician hungry for a jam session would do — he put up a Craigslist ad.

His pitch? "Please, come and hang and play with me," Gilfillian said.

The musician's plea for like-minded players landed him a spot as the resident young guy in local Delta blues and reggae cover bands. It wasn't exactly like stepping on stage at the Ryman Auditorium, but it was a start.

"All these older cats ... they're like, 'Come on, man. You know how to play guitar and sing,'" Gilfillian said last month, backstage at the so-called Mother Church. "I was fronting these old guys in Lebanon, Tennessee. We were playing these small gigs. I was trying to jam and play with anybody."

Spoiler: Those gigs didn't last forever. For nearly a decade, Gilfillian — a Philadelphia native raised on Jimi Hendrix and Jay-Z — navigated the highs and lows of dream-chasing in Music City, U.S.A. Eventually, he found his place in the city's thriving creative community. He built an independent following before inking a major label record deal that culminated with weathering a global pandemic and marching for racial justice in the weeks after releasing his buzzed-about debut album.

Last week, Gilfillian returned with "Love You Anyway," a must-hear sophomore album born out of his experience as a Black man in today's America. With 11 stirring soul songs, Gilfillian offers a soundtrack to moments worth fighting for in life — love, equality and acceptance.

"Love You Anyway" hit record store shelves and streaming services Friday via Fantasy Records.

"This new album, to me, it's trying to bridge a gap between people who are angry — with different political views — and trying to get a conversation started," Gilfillian said. "[It's] about me falling in love, and it's also about me wanting to forget about all the bad, scary s*** that happened during the pandemic, and dance about it, not think about it."

More: Ruston Kelly rediscovers the creative spark in an old house in Portland, TN

'It killed me'

The son of a wedding singer raised on cuts from Pharrell Williams and Pearl Jam, Gilfillian spent his college years playing cover songs in local bars before joining AmeriCorps with hopes of landing in a vibrant music town. His short list? New Orleans, Austin, Texas, and, of course, Nashville. The community-centered aid program sent him to Music City, where he began gigging at night after recruiting volunteers during the day.

After about a year in Nashville, Gilfillian took a job at City Winery, meeting his now-manager Jonathan Smalt and befriending artists like soul singer Emily King. He made his way into a local songwriting circle, writing and releasing music that culminated in the 2020 debut album "Black Hole Rainbow," one of the Tennessean's favorite that year.

He hit the road with Grace Potter in early 2020, including a stop at the Ryman that proved to be one of the last gigs before COVID-19 derailed live entertainment for months. That summer, Gilfillian took his guitar to the streets, singing alongside demonstrators marching for racial reform after George Floyd's death.

His song of choice during those protests? Marvin Gaye's stirring classic "What's Going On?"

"I went out to protest for George Floyd and saw people playing instruments. I was like, 'I'll bring my guitar,'" Gilfillian said. "I went home and learned 'What's Going On?' and broke down crying 'cause I was like, 'This has already been said. Fifty years ago.' It killed me."

He spent the coming days recreating Gaye's "What's Going On?" album, releasing a start-to-finish cover the LP as a fundraising effort for Equality Alliance.

More: 'Love Rising' concert raises more than $500,000

'Love You Anyway'

At the time of "What's Going On?," Gilfillian already began molding ideas for what became "Love You Anyway."

Defined as soul music and embraced by Nashville's Americana scene, Gilfillian's sonic landscape weaves through lanes of R&B, rock 'n' roll and hip-hop. He's an animated guitarist who can tear up a stage, but Gilfillian doesn't weigh down his songs with flashy playing. Instead, "Love You Anyway" focuses on what Nashville songwriters do best — stirring stories with strong melodies.

"Jimi Hendrix ... has inspired probably every Black man that holds a guitar, but that is one finger on both my hands of the musical tastes and genres that I wanna dive into," he said.

Gilfillian cut the new 10 songs, which he co-wrote, at producer Jeremy Lutito's home studio in Nashville. The album takes listeners to the streets of Georgia, where Gilfillian sings for those who face voter suppression on "Let The Water Flow." He duets with soul-rock favorite Nathaniel Rateliff on "Righteous," a grounded call for humility in an often hot-headed world. The album channels unfiltered R&B fun on the dance-along jam "Imma Let My Body Move" and finds common ground on standout alum title track "Love You Anyway."

"'Love You Anyway' is a song about my personal relationships," he said. "People I love [who] have different political views. [It's about] trying to focus on the humanity and not demonize people I love because of politics. And looking through that, so a conversation can be had. Not sugar-coating and buttering up, but getting down to the real conversation."

And he'll celebrate the release May 26 when Gilfillan steps on stage at the Ryman with Emily King. And this time, he didn't need to post a Craigslist ad to get the gig.

"Coming back [to the Ryman], I feel like there's ghosts every time," Gilfillian said. "So much crazy talent has been here and the energy is still, like, lingering."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Devon Gilfillian returns with soul-bearing new album 'Love You Anyway'