Tyler Braden. Photo: Marisa Taylor
After years of honing his craft and building a loyal fan base through relentless touring and a string of powerful EPs, country-rock artist Tyler Braden is finally ready to share his full story. With the release of his long-awaited debut album Devil and a Prayer, Braden is reflective, energized and proud of the journey that’s brought him to this point.
Braden, a former firefighter turned full-time musician, has made a name for himself with his powerhouse vocals, emotionally resonant lyrics and gritty authenticity. With Devil and a Prayer, a 19-track record years in the making, he’s pulling back the curtain and inviting listeners into his world, complete with vulnerability, fire and faith.
The idea behind the album didn’t come together all at once. “The inspiration was spread out over years,” Braden tells MusicRow. “But the concept came when I started putting the track list together and realized it felt like I was building a live show set.”
That realization sparked a bigger vision. “I called management, I called the label and said, ‘Listen, I want to lean into this and build it out just like a live set,’” he explains. That vision manifests clearly on the record, especially in the middle section, marked as the “B Stage” on physical copies, where four stripped-back, acoustic songs give listeners an intimate, unplugged experience.
The physical album even includes a handwritten “setlist” on the back cover, with designations like “Opening Song” and “Encore,” adding a layer of thoughtful detail. “That won’t come across online, but it’s a little Easter egg for the fans.”
The album title, Devil and a Prayer, was born from the pairing of two standout singles; “Devil You Know” and “More Than a Prayer.” Originally intended as separate releases leading into EPs, plans shifted after “Devil You Know” found traction on social media. Instead of breaking things up, Braden and his team decided to bring it all together. “We had these two juxtaposing cover arts, and we just put them together and called it Devil and a Prayer.”
Over the course of making the project, Braden says he’s grown significantly, especially as a songwriter. “It’s probably just the growth as a writer,” he says, reflecting on the journey. “From ‘Dear Old Flame’ to working alongside Sam Martinez as a producer, it’s been cool to get in there and create together.”
“Dear Old Flame,” one of the album’s acoustic “B Stage” moments, was a turning point creatively. “It was the first time I wrote something kind of out of left field,” he recalls. “It felt like something that was me, who I wanted to be.”
While many of the tracks were co-written, Braden’s artistic fingerprints are all over the album. “Even the outside songs had to feel authentic. I didn’t want to feel like an imposter,” he says. His collaborators include names like Martinez, Jon Decious, Austin Nivarel, Lydia Vaughan and Sasha Sloan, among many others.
While Devil and a Prayer covers a broad emotional and sonic range, a few tracks stand out as particularly meaningful for Braden. “’Right On Track’ is probably the most personal,” he says. Inspired by the ups and downs of chasing a dream, the song captures the self-doubt and comparison that can plague anyone pursuing their goals.
“The main thing I’ve learned over the last eight years is: do not compare yourself to people around you,” he says. “That’s what the song’s about, and I think it resonates far beyond music.”
Another standout is “Might Be Dangerous,” a duet with rising star Kaitlin Butts. Though Braden had been performing the song solo for some time, the original demo featured a duet, and he knew that’s what the final version needed. “Kaitlin was someone my team had brought up years ago, and I always kept an eye on what she was doing,” he says. “When her name came up again, it just felt right.”
Despite having never met before, the collaboration came together organically. “We sent her the song and let it speak for itself. She said yes immediately.” Braden was initially unsure how their contrasting voices would blend, “mine’s pretty rough, and hers is so smooth, almost bluegrass,” but the result was magic. The pair debuted the track live at the ACM Kickoff Party to a warm reception.
Longtime fans will notice growth on this album, not just lyrically, but in Braden’s sound. “No doubt about it,” he says when asked if his music has evolved. “I think that comes across on this album. I hope it does.”
That evolution also includes being more open to imperfections. On “Right On Track,” Braden ended up keeping the original scratch vocal, the one recorded live in-studio while the band tracked the song. “It had this raw emotion we couldn’t recreate,” he says. “It’s almost one take all the way through.”
For Braden, releasing Devil and a Prayer is both a personal and professional milestone. “It’s the top of a mountain, for sure,” he says. “We’ve done EPs before, but this is the first time I get to show who I am, top to bottom, on one project.”
And what’s he most excited for now that it’s out? “Seeing what songs people gravitate toward, especially online. Watching what happens naturally, seeing what people tag you in, what they post, what they make videos to. That’s the coolest part.”
Still, he hopes listeners take the time to hear the full story. “I know it’s longer, but I hope people get a chance to listen top to bottom,” he says. “It’s got that live show feeling, from the high-energy open to the acoustic center, then we bring it back hard with a song called ‘Breaking In These Boots.’ I want it to feel like you’re there, in the crowd, feeling every moment.”
With Devil and a Prayer, Braden isn’t just releasing an album, he’s inviting fans into his world. And it’s one worth stepping into.
Devil and a Prayer Track List:
1. “Me Or The Dawn” (Tyler Braden, Jake Rose, Autumn Buysse)
2. “More Than A Prayer” (Heath Warren, Devin Dawson, Sam Martinez)
3. “Think About Me” (Tyler Braden, Melissa Pierce, Adam Wood)
4. “Above The Water” (Tyler Braden, Daniel Agee, Ian Harrison, Sarah Turner)
5. “You Don’t Get To Cry” (Tyler Braden, Will Bundy, Rhett Akins)
6. “Loved Once” (Tyler Braden, Dan Pellarin, Lydia Vaughan, Sasha Sloan)
7. “How It Starts” (Tyler Braden, Lydia Vaughan, Luke Niccoli)
8. “So Long” (Tyler Braden, Lydia Vaughan, Jordan Dozzi)
9. “To Tell You The Truth (b stage)” (Tyler Braden, Rivers Rutherford, Seth Mosley)
10. “Bullet In M y Boots (b stage)” (Matt Rogers, Jaren Johnston, Ben Stennis)
11. “Nothing Looks Good On You (b stage)” (Tyler Braden, Jon Decious, Mikey Reaves)
12. “Dear Old Flame (b stage)” (Tyler Braden, Thomas Archer)
13. “Breaking In These Boots” (Tyler Braden, Joey Hyde, Nick Donley)
14. “Evergreen (demo)” (Tyler Braden, Austin Nivarel, Rob Grimaldi)
15. “God & Guns N’ Roses” (Tyler Braden, Jon Decious, Rian Ball)
16. “Call Me First” (Tyler Braden, Sam Martinez, Cole Miracle, Zack Dyer, Jon Robert Hall)
17. “Right On Track” (Tyler Braden, Jon Decious, Austin Nivarel)
18. “Might Be Dangerous (feat. Kaitlin Butts)” (Heath Warren, Zach Kale, Micah Carpenter, Kyle Sturrock)
19. “Devil You Know” (Graham Barham, Zack Dyer, Jon Hall, Sam Martinez)
