By Jeanni Ritchie
Jason DeFord, known professionally as Jelly Roll, debuted his new album Beautifully Broken on October 11. It immediately went to number one on the all-genre Billboard 200.
Listeners relate to Jelly Roll’s vulnerability and willingness to share the uglier parts of his life in an effort to convey hope to others who may be in similar situations. He gets it. And he wants others to get set free just as he was.
It’s something I relate to well. I pull my own skeletons out for a daily parade so that others don’t have to suffer in silence…or alone. Breaking stigmas of mental health struggles, trauma, and addiction are vital to heal and overcome.
Jelly Roll is vocal about overcoming his own past and battling his demons in songs like When the Drugs Don’t Work, Heart of Stone, and Unpretty on the new album. He is committed to making a difference. Portions of profits from preorders went to several mental health and addiction organizations.
Three songs were released prior to the album drop: Get By, I Am Not Okay, and Liar.
I love the latter! Liar is a stand up to the devil song and let him know that you see through his lies.
You ain’t nothin’ but a liar
Yeah, I walk right out the fire
Yeah, you try to keep me down
Try to put me underground
But I’m only going higher
We’ve all heard those whispers that we aren’t enough, we messed up too bad, we will never succeed…Jelly Roll calls out this mental torment in Liar.
Since Jelly Roll’s 2023 Whitsitt Chapel album release, he has won awards from CMT, ACMs, CMAs, iHeartRadio, and People’s Choice. He was nominated for two Grammys and appeared on The Voice, American Idol, and the Grand Ole Opry among many others.
I’m not surprised. It was Whitsitt Chapel that reached ME last year when nothing else could. Reliving trauma and breaking free from strongholds had me both seeking AND running from God. Those songs, from Save Me to Dancing With the Devil met me just where I was, without condemnation or judgment. Many others felt the same way as that album reached #1, 2, and 3 on the Top Rock, Country, and Billboard 200 charts respectively.
Jelly Roll reminds me of the lifeguard who jumps in when the kids get too far in the deep end and start flailing until they are safely with their parents again.
Beautifully Broken is less explicit than previous albums and, just like mine, you can tell that Jelly Roll’s life is much calmer now. I love the song Smile So Much.
Lot of people ask me
“How are you so happy?”
If you’d seen all the tears I cried
You would know why I smile so much
Other songs on the 22-track album include Born Again (God’s purpose for your life WILL be fulfilled), My Cross (breaking patterns and generational curses), and Woman (an obvious love letter to his wife of 8 years, Bunnie XO). While it’s labeled country and charting everywhere but the gospel charts, the overwhelming theme is faith.
Jelly Roll continues his 2024 arena tour, having performed recently in Lafayette, New Orleans, and Bossier City. It is rare to find a celebrity with such genuine heart and divine anointing.
Then again, this is precisely why God uses men like Jelly Roll. They know their power lies in Christ alone.
Check out Beautifully Broken!
Jeanni Ritchie is a contributing journalist from Central Louisiana. She can be reached at jeanniritchie54@gmail.com.
