Brett Landin Digs Deep and Strikes Gold with Soul-Baring New EP Roots
- All Country News
- Apr 17
- 2 min read
Brett Landin isn’t just digging into her past, she’s planting a flag in it.
With her new EP Roots, the rising country artist delivers her most fully realized, emotionally resonant project to date, trading surface-level storytelling for something deeper, warmer, and strikingly personal. The five-track collection, produced by Johnny Hanson in Nashville, feels less like a casual listen and more like a front-porch conversation, honest, reflective, and impossible to rush through.
From the first note, Roots makes its intentions clear. This isn’t just a title, it’s a thesis.
Each track is anchored in the people who shaped Landin’s life: a brother remembered in “Do You Remember,” friendships immortalized in “Maid of Honor” and “Same Coast,” and deeply felt tributes to her parents in “Father’s Daughter” and “Mama Knows.” The result is a narrative arc that feels cohesive without ever losing its individuality, a rare balance that elevates the EP beyond a simple collection of songs.
Landin herself captures that spirit best:
“I always thought Roots would be a song I’d write someday. Instead, it became something bigger, a body of work that tells a story of where I come from and who I’ve become… At the heart of this record are the people, places, and memories that have shaped me… Roots is both a reflection and a celebration.”
That sense of reflection is matched by a polished yet organic sound. Hanson’s production leans into a breezy, “easy-breath” country feel, warm acoustic textures, steady grooves, and just enough space for Landin’s vocals to carry the emotional weight. It’s the kind of record that feels effortless on the surface but reveals new layers with every spin.
And the musicianship? Top-tier.
ACM Drummer of the Year Aaron Sterling (known for his work with John Mayer and Harry Styles) brings a subtle but powerful rhythmic backbone, while MusicRow All-Star Justin Schipper adds shimmering pedal steel that drapes each track in classic country soul. Producer Johnny Hanson also lends his expertise across the EP’s sonic landscape playing all other instruments on the tracks. Their contributions never overpower, they elevate, letting Landin remain firmly at the center of her own story.
What makes Roots Landin’s best work yet isn’t just the talent involved, it’s the vulnerability. These songs don’t just nod to her past; they sit with it. They wrestle with it. They celebrate it.
There’s a quiet confidence in that approach, a willingness to let the small moments speak loudly. And in doing so, Landin taps into something universal: the understanding that where we come from is never far behind us, it’s woven into everything we become.
With Roots, Brett Landin doesn’t just tell her story. She invites listeners to find themselves in it.
And that’s exactly why this is a record you’ll come back to, again and again.
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