Pages tagged “paul thorn”

[Above: Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell perform at the 2007 Americana Honors & Awards Show]

Strap on that acoustic guitar and tie up that bandana, y'all. It's time to start planning for the 9th Annual Americana Music Festival and Conference, which takes place Sept. 17-20 in Nashville, and will feature everyone who's anyone in the Americana genre. The Americana Music Association recently announced the initial list of performers, but promises that many more will be added before September. The vanguard includes Jim White, The Belleville Outfit, James McMurtry, Paul Thorn, The Snake The Cross and The Crown and The SteelDrivers.

With the line “A full tank of gas and an R&B station” (from the opening track, “Lover’s Vacation”), Paul Thorn sets the tone for his fourth full-length studio disc. A little Boz Scaggs here, some of Paul Carrack’s Ace/Squeeze there, Thorn settles into a groovy soul-pop R&B-fueled formula. Once the vibe takes you, you’ll feel that sly sadness that digs a crisp tempo and a sultry bass hop. It’s got that bluesy grin that snaps to life when the horns kick in, the familiar ache at the end of love’s cul de sac that only a funky wah-wah or slide guitar can soothe. Thorn bends these time-honored chops and a strong, gospel-tinged female chorus to his take on all the expected plot arcs within love, betrayal, infidelity and longing. A reliable storyteller, Thorn wants to know Are You With Me? Hey, it’s a hot summer and this blue-eyed, love-sick soul music, aching with longing, is a cool, smooth ride. So why not.