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No rush, plenty of time, listening to music is a leisurely pleasure. Three thoughts that come to mind when facing the prospect of diving into the new record from New England-based Americana outfit Pawn Shop Saints. Releasing a 45 song album with a running time close to two and a half hours may have Jeb Barry scratching his head in years to come. Yet it felt the right thing to do in the summer months of 2023 where instinct and intuition no doubt played as big a part in the recording process as strategic planning. 45 AMERICAN LIES is definitely an album with a difference and its idiosyncrasies may well open doors to an artist well-tuned in delivering a highly crafted song.
For practical purposes, a digital release is the only realistic mode to offer listeners. A sensible approach from a band operating at the grass roots and one where you still get a good feel to a varied style of largely acoustic tunes spun on the folk, country and Americana axis. The digital format enables you to curate your preferences from the bundle, a case of DIY with a difference.The recording process is organic and 'on the hop' giving the songs a stripped and honest airing. The latter is not an intended pun on the title, I promise. Once you give the songs some listening oxygen they swiftly flow down the lanes, backroads and highways of your mind.
If you've been following the recent output of Jeb Barry and Pawn Shop Saints (both names have been applied to releases), you won't find any duplicates on 45 AMERICAN LIES. We learn that the record draws from a mixed pile: a few from a couple of decades ago, others surfacing in the last few years and now finding a home, while some were born out of the recording process. The theme leans heavily towards independent fictional visions with imaginary characters drawn from the fringes as you would expect in an Americana billing.
Tables are turned on how a listener can approach 45 AMERICAN LIES with it entirely being open minded. One adage could be a desire to explore the more conventional back catalogue where you get similar intent within alternative coatings. This project of brave ingenuity does create a stir and raise the eyebrows before ultimately settling as an interesting and fulfilling body of work. A final recommendation is to give it at least one complete listen. It will prick the imagination and a take you on pleasurable journey.