May was a big month at Fullbright HQ. John’s new album, “Songs,” was released on May 27, and the response has been overwhelming! So many kind reviews and well-wishes from friends! Here’s a quick summary.
(We will continue to add to this post as new material is released.)
Album Reviews
The 26 Albums of 2014 You Probably Didn’t, But Really Should, Hear (Rolling Stone)
He can whip an emotional tale from the thinnest fibers of experience, held together by a balance of uncommon earnestness and vulnerability that never feels cloying.
John Fullbright Pours Truth Into ‘Songs’ (Rolling Stone)
A quiet collection of stately ballads and ruminative torch songs… a moving display of deeply personal songwriting…
John Fullbright Opens Up on ‘Songs’ Album (Wall St. Journal)
“Songs” is a warm, winning and plainspoken Americana album that builds on the authority and charm of “From the Ground Up” not by musical-muscle flexing, but by its clarity and simmering intensity.
Songs of Love and Longing (New York Times)
Mr. Fullbright joins the lineage of terse Southwestern songwriters like Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark, sticking to a few folky chords and reaching for unassailable clarity.
John Fullbright: Songs (American Songwriter)
In a short-attention-span world overloaded with sensory stimulation, there aren’t many artists who can stop you in your tracks with a single song, let alone repeat the feat through an entire album.
The Best Songs of May 2014 (Esquire)
Across these tightly wound, musically sparse two minutes and 30 seconds, this 26-year-old Oklahoman neither wastes a word nor unfurls a cliché emotion… And it all hangs on this: “I didn’t know about silence/Until you were gone.”
Catching Up With John Fullbright (Paste)
The One Who Lives Too Far’ describes the collapse of a long-distance relationship as if it were as gradual and inevitable as the ice breaking up in the spring.
Album Review: John Fullbright, “Songs” (Billboard — paywall)
“Songs” shows a talented young artist exceeding expectations and stepping proudly toward the pantheon of the legendary singer-songwriters he idolizes.
Music Review: A Winning Set by John Fullbright (ABC News/Associated Press)
A winning set… Sad and serious and wise and wonderful, well written, well played and well sung. Well done.
Fullbright’s Sophomore Album Features Spacious, Confident Songs (NPR All Things Considered)
So what makes John Fulbright good enough to prompt comparisons to the likes of Townes Van Zandt? Maybe it’s his voice, provocative and world weary beyond his years, or his melodies that play gently and continuously in your head, long after his new album reaches the end.
Interviews
John Fullbright’s “Songs” Album Follows Long-Shot Grammy Nod (Los Angeles Times)
The simplicity of the album’s title is a harbinger of what it contains — songs impressively and potently economical, mostly stripped back to poetically astute lyrics and heart-rending musical feeling.
John Fullbright Plays From New Album ‘Songs’ (Here & Now, WBUR)
“The reception has been — I don’t know, I didn’t see it coming, especially with, like, that Grammy nod. That kind of stuff isn’t supposed to happen to guys like me … You know, the guys that don’t chase the stars, the guys that just — we want to write songs and kick around and be, you know, respected.”
Small-town kid makes good, and busts myths about tragic artists (Chicago Tribune)
What’s So Bad About Happy? (Lone Star Music Magazine) (.pdf)
Radio Interview: NPR’s World Cafe with David Dye (listen on their website)
Radio Interview: WUMB Boston (listen on their website)
John Fullbright Stripped Down for ‘Songs’ (Billboard)
John Fullbright reaches into his roots to show personal side with new album (Tulsa World)
A Man With a Simple Song & John Fullbright talks “Songs”, Songwriting and Oklahoma (NewsOK.com)
John Fullbright Finds Songs Waiting at Home (CMT Edge)
Songwriters on Songwriting: John Fullbright (The Bluegrass Situation)
Concert Reviews
Review: John Fullbright at Kessler Theater (DFW.com)
Country, gospel, pop and rock, Fullbright forsakes nothing and folds in everything, making him, perhaps, an artist to whom the tag “Americana” truly does apply.
