Josh T Pearson is the result of the remnants of Lift To Experience that had success at the turn of the century. Lauded by John Peel and earning a place in Peel’s Best 125 Sessions of all time, Last of the Country Gentlemen is Josh T Pearson’s latest release.
Pearson’s vocal drone works well when sparred against the erratic nature of the acoustic guitar. ‘Thou Art Loosed’ seems like an appropriate segway into the rest of the tracks on the album, and encapsulates all that is to come.
‘Woman, When I’ve Raised Hell’ has a fantastic segment of violins that attributes well to the country and western theme present on the record. Emotional currency increases tenfold with the use of the violins and Pearson’s vocals on their own.
‘Honeymoon Is Great, Wish You Were Her’ starts with a sparse instrumental section and the vocals take hold of the song after around the minute, “I’m in love with another woman, who simply ain’t my wife.” Guitar seems tangled in Pearson’s predicament and fits in all too well with the track and its meaning.
Pearson becomes embroiled in a medley with the violin on ‘Country Dumb’, as his vocal ability is put to the forefront of the track and attempts some high-pitched vocals and indulges in a cheeky spoken-word segment half-way through the song.
Perhaps the most off-putting aspect of this album is its hour long running time and four of seven songs managing to creep past the ten minute mark. This is all proportionate to the linear nature of the album and its ability to tell a story and hold the listener with drama and suspense in the form of his music.
The album ends with the track ‘Drive Her Out’; a song that concludes all the other tracks on the album in the most succinct way. On an album riddled with fantastic musical landscapes and forlorn, yet pert lyrics, Last of the Country Garden is an album that’ll never get tiring and never stop astounding.
