Jelly Roll, “Beautifully Broken.”

Reigning CMA Artist of the Year Jelly Roll continues his meteoric rise across genres with his eighth album, Beautifully Broken.

Nashville native Jason DeFord had been releasing music as an indie artist for two decades before breaking out in a big way with 2021’s Ballads of the Broken, which combined rap, hard rock and country. He continued his success with 2023’s Whitsitt Chapel, which has become a staple on the country charts and led to amphitheater and then arena tours.

On Beautifully Broken, Jelly Roll continues underscoring his lyrics with important issues like mental health, addiction, money, religion and sense of self. Having previously served time for marijuana possession and robbery, he understands the journey back from rock bottom. He’s using his experiences to lift up others. He’s walking the walk, even as his talk remains comprised of dark themes accompanied by toe-tapping melodies. Over its 22 tracks, Beautifully Broken deals with a lot.

The album kicks off with “Winning Streak,” an inspirational tune that blends country and electro-pop with choral and stacked harmonies. It’s the strongest cut on the album.“Burning” has a country rhythm that may remind you of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” but takes elements of classic country and blends them with powerful vocals and choral harmonies. Rock drives the beat behind “Heart of Stone.” Yeah, there are country elements, but it’s rooted in heavy rhythms, coupled with strings and solid vocals.

Somber single “I Am Not Okay” is a mellow, country tune that’s much darker than its melody. Cowritten with Taylor Phillips, Ashley Gorley and Casey Brown, it has lyrics as vulnerable as the singing:  “I woke up today/ Almost stayed in bed/ Had the devil on my back/ And voices in my head/ Some days it ain’t all bad/ Some days it all gets worse/ Some days, I swear I’m better off/ Layin’ in that dirt.” Here, the album’s title is on full display.

With “When the Drugs Don’t Work”, Jelly Roll puts his past at the forefront. Singer-songwriter Ilsey, who cowrote this and several other songs on the album, accompanies Jelly Roll beautifully. With Wiz Khalifa as a featured artist, you might expect “Higher Than Heaven” to be carried by rap. But it’s a country ballad with Khalifa dropping a rapped verse and closing out the track with ethereal vocals.

The powerful “Liar” may be the most accessible song on Beautifully Broken. Jelly Roll’s vocals are on point and roll with the rhythm. The lyrics are simple, but effective:  “I can hear you in my head/ In my bed when I’m dreamin’/ You try to be my friend but you’re blowin’ smoke/ … If I was doing what you do/ You would say I poisoned you.”

On the plainspoken “Everyone Bleeds,” Jelly Roll reminds us that we’re all the same, regardless of our station in life. It’s driven by a bass-heavy beat and strong backing vocals.He revisits these themes later on the album with “Hear Me Out,” which paints a portrait of those people going through rehab or dealing with domestic violence. DeFord reminds listeners that everyone deserves to be heard.

Then there’s “Get By,” was ESPN picked as its football theme song for this year, and the reason is clear at first listen. It’s an upbeat party anthem blended with with a country burn-burner.

Organs and choral harmonies provide the underlying melody for the hymn-like “Unpretty.” Jelly Roll is at his most honest, singing about how his past self will always be a part of him. Then there’s country ballad “Grace,” which describes finding good things in the middle of troubling times. The earnestness continues with “Hey Mama” and “Time of Day.” The former begins with a phone call between Jelly Roll and his mom before he sings her praises of his mother. The latter, with Machine Gun Kelly and Yelawolf, is reflective, with MGK and Jelly singing about what they hide away.

He also revisits the religious and spiritual themes of Whitsitt Chapel on “My Cross” and album closer “What’s Wrong with Me.” The latter, a piano-driven diatribe on being OK with your imperfections, combines pop country and gospel.

“That mirror was no friend to me/ Was my own worst enemy/ ’Til I find a way to move on and sing a new song,” he sings.

There’s a surprise or two as well. “What It Takes” is a departure from Jelly Roll’s established sound, instead recalling an ’80s power ballad. And he does his version of a Coldplay song with another pop ballad, “Little Light,” about addiction. The slow, steady beat and the powerful singing keep it from spiraling from somber to depressive.

Those familiar with Jelly Roll’s rap background (which included him selling tapes out of the back of a car) will appreciate “Smile So Much.” Here he delivers verses with rapid fire. Nowhere else on the album are his vocals as tight.

Overall, Beautifully Broken is a bit overstuffed. However, there’s no real filler. Picking what to cut would affect the album’s message. It might be his strongest album yet.

Piano drives “What’s Wrong with Me”, which combines country-pop and elements of gospel. It is a diatribe on being okay with one’s imperfections. Lyrically, Jelly Roll might be the most self-reflective here:  “That mirror was no friend to me/Was my own worst enemy/’Til I find a way to move on and sing a new song”. It is a hopeful track to close out the album.

Beautifully Broken feels like it is two or three tracks longer than it needs to be. Yet, it would be difficult to decide which ones to cut, as they all carry strong messages. Jelly Roll has continued to highlight real issues while defying traditional musical genres. Beautifully Broken is just the latest, but it might be the best.

Follow Talia M. Wilson at Twitter.com/olyfilmgirl.