I’ve got to admit, I listened to neither ‘Rum’ nor ‘Stay A Little Longer’ before picking up this album, making the assumption that like many of the charting singles from last year they would be crap. I picked this up because I heard ‘Loving Me Back’ featuring Lee Ann Womack, and if Lee Ann has given Brothers Osborne her stamp of approval then that’s good enough for me.
I was wrong about ‘Rum’ and ‘Stay A Little Longer’. Whilst they aren’t the stand-out tracks on ‘Pawn Shop’ that is to the credit of the album, because they are pretty decent with catchy tunes and creating a great atmosphere. ‘Stay A Little Longer’ in particular is good pop-country, with the vocals sounding Lady Antebellum enough to be superficially nice, and the baritone range adding a bit more texture than Lady A’s often saccharine delivery.
A highlight of ‘Pawn Shop’ is ‘21 Summer’ (their current single) which is a lovely ballad delivered with vocals that sound very Embrace and a backing that is very Newton Faulkner. It is simultaneously chilled out and expressive due to T.J’s deep vocals and the steady acoustic and rhythmic backing, bringing out a sense of longing for the summer of nostalgia referenced in the title.
Much of the rest of the album is less mainstream and ‘Greener Pastures’ in particular has both the old-school country/rock ‘n roll style and vocal quality of a Sturgill Simpson song, which strangely doesn’t sound out of place at all on a mainstream record. That may possibly be due to the presence of other slightly off-beat songs such as ‘Pawn Shop’ and ‘Down Home’, which create a slightly ‘garage country’ sound, refreshing given the prevalence of over-production in many Music Row albums. The critical success of producers like Jay Joyce and Dave Cobb shows that this producing-for-the-lowest-common-denominator may bring riches to the few who possess star quality, but for the others they are trapped in a purgatory of critical derision and middling commercial success, not exactly the musician’s dream by any stretch.
Finishing with ‘Heart Shaped Locket’ and ‘It Ain’t My Fault’ bring a darker feel to the album, with a more rocky effect, with ‘Heart Shaped Locket’ reminding me a bit of Nirvana but I’m 90% sure that’s just because the title sounds like their hit ‘Heart Shaped Box’, and the deep vocals wouldn’t be out of place on something a bit more heavy and gritty. ‘It Ain’t My Fault’ is more upbeat rock, with a drum and electric guitar intro and a driving-yet-laid-back vocal delivery. I like the effect here, and towards the middle of the song there is an almost funky refrain before the slight grunge rock melody comes back.
The only ‘country-as-hell’ song is ‘Loving Me Back’ with Lee Ann Womack. Whilst Lee Ann only provides backing on the choruses, T.J has a decent country baritone and the backing made of bluesy guitar and gritty acoustic guitar brings into mind the wild-west. It’s quite old school, it’s quite great and it’s my favorite track on the record.
‘Pawn Shop’ is not a homogenous album, and nor is it a boring album. For a record with the variation of ‘Pawn Shop’ it plays very coherently, and I have no problem recommending it as a good listen. I’m glad Lee Ann introduced me to Brothers Osborne.
Originally posted here.
