John Fullbright, Bush Hall - music review

Grammy-nominated John Fullbright's authentic and slightly austere performance saw pearls of pain and passion through his bluesy howl and warm electric guitar notes
John Fullbright
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Andre Paine9 April 2013

Raised as a Southern Baptist on an Oklahoma cattle farm near the birthplace of folk icon Woody Guthrie, there’s an air of authenticity surrounding Grammy-nominated John Fullbright’s Americana music.

At just 24, he’s already produced several songwriting pearls of pain and passion — though mostly pain, it has to be said. As well as being authentic his performance felt a little austere on a bare stage at Bush Hall, where Fullbright initially appeared hesitant.

It meant he caught everyone by surprise with the a cappella Am I Born to Die?, on which he summoned an elemental, mournful vocal. The parched, sorrowful singing continued as he strummed on a new song, though things perked up on Daydreamer where he was joined by veteran guitarist Terry “Buffalo” Ware, who was more owlish than bovine.

Ware added warm electric guitar notes on country tune Me Wanting You, on which Fullbright’s voice erupted into agonised yearning. Yet there was also a sense of solid musicianship at times rather than a full-blooded performance.

Fullbright seemed to find his voice when he switched to a keyboard for Fat Man, its mannered vocal and lurching rhythm reminiscent of Kurt Weill.

His bluesy howl and harmonica on the standard Tain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do loosened him up for his debut album’s finest moments: a rocking Satan and St Paul, the stately Jericho and an audacious Gawd Above, on which Fullbright had God singing the blues over Ware’s squally guitar.

The encore threatened to get a bit bleak during High Road, about a tragic farming accident. “My body count is rising,” joked Fullbright.

He described the stomping finale Moving as “a singalong nobody sings along to” — but that can only be a matter of time.

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