Paul Thorn Long Way From Tupelo CD

Personnel: Paul Thorn (acoustic guitar, tambourine, background vocals); Paul Thorn; Deborah Brown , Charlotte Green (vocals, background vocals); Dena Pike, Jenny Bain, Candice Pitts, Charlotte Green, Debra Brown (vocals); Bill Hinds (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 12-string guitar, slide guitar); Bob Britt (guitar, electric guitar, lap steel guitar, baritone guitar, mandolin, electric sitar); Michael Graham (electric guitar, strings, piano, electric piano, Fender Rhodes piano, Clavinet, organ, Wurlitzer organ, synthesizer, claves, bells, gong); Huey Lewis (harmonica); Stan Thorn (piano); Richard Dabbs, Doug Kahan (bass guitar); Jeffery Perkins, Jeffery Perkins (drums); Jason Palmer (congas).
Illustrator: Paul Thorn.
The fourth studio album from Mississippi-bred singer-songwriter Paul Thorn finds the roots rocker weighing in with one of his strongest batches of songs and performances in an already strong discography. Equal doses of rock, blues, and country inform Thorn's style, but it's his personal, detailed lyrics, and his hard-edged but vulnerable vocal delivery that make his songs winners. Whether on the realistic revelations of "All About People," the barroom boogie of "I'm Still Here," or the evocative, narrative-driven title track, Thorn proves he's only getting better at what he does best.
Paul Thorn got started in show biz at the age of three when he got on-stage to perform with his father, a Pentecostal preacher. Since then he's been a furniture maker and boxer, which may explain his rough-hewn, hard-hitting style. His songwriting draws from that deep well of sanctified intensity, always delivering true-to-life vignettes that will make you laugh out loud even as they make your hair stand on end. His blend of gospel, R&B, rock, blues, and country is called Americana these days, but it's a throwback to the early days of rock when all Southern music, black and white, infused the songwriting of working-class guys and gals looking for a way out of their poverty with nothing but a guitar and a compelling story to tell. Thorn brings to mind a Southern-born Springsteen with his gruff, forceful delivery, but he also has a deadly sense of humor that's peculiarly Southern. Case in point: "I'm Still Here," a song about watching his neighbor getting run down by a car. Its combination of roadhouse grit and gospel exuberance looks death in the face with a wink and a "Glory hallelujah!" A funky snare and popping bass guitar introduce "Crutches," a song about drugs, booze, and rehab. The jaunty music belies the serious nature of the lyric as the singer dreams of freedom while still embracing his own personal hell. The rolling of distant thunder and a simple guitar figure open "Burnin' Blue," a dirge about lost love. A pedal steel adds its eerie accents to Thorn's desolate vocal. "What Have You Done to Lift Somebody Up" has a more straightforward message of hope -- part gospel rave-up, part blues shuffle, and downright uplifting. "Starvin for Your Kisses" is gloriously sensual, with Thorn's sneaky, seductive vocal testifying to the power of pure sex. "A Long Way from Tupelo" is a short story with a nasty twist at the end, a tale of flat tires and inflated desire sung with the deadpan humor that's Thorn's trademark. The bandmembers are tough and gritty throughout, and by blending their gospel-infused licks with Thorn's sweaty profane growl, they've come up with something oddly unique, a sound that's spiritual and carnal at the same time. ~ j. poet