The public at large hasn’t heard much from John Fullbright since his critically lauded album Songs; a chasm of eight years that seemed unthinkable for someone with so much hype—including a GRAMMY nod, an Americana Music Association Emerging Artist nomination and awards from ASCAP and the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame—surrounding his early career. Why did it take so long? “It’s been a process of learning how to be in a community of musicians and less focusing on the lone, depressed songwriter…just playing something that has a beat and is really fun,” Fullbright says. Today, Fullbright ended the dry spell by releasing his new LP, The Liar, opening up his newfound trust in musical collaboration for the world to hear.
The Liar can be streamed or purchased today at this link. Fulbright’s tour continues tonight with the first of two sold-out shows at Oklahoma City’s Blue Door. A complete list of Fullbright’s tour dates can be found below or at johnfullbrightmusic.com/tour.
The Liar In The News:
No Depression reviewed the album, saying, “The Liar puts his impressive vocal range to full use. Fullbright’s star burned hot at the start of his career and now, eight years later, he is reminding us why. He can still write an unflinchingly vulnerable song that will shred your heart to pieces when he belts it out, low and leathery, with all the force of a freight train...with songs like these, Fullbright is reclaiming his place.”
Whiskey Riff shared a detailed preview of The Liar, calling Fullbright a “master songwriter and musical savant,” and writing, “the end result is a much more creative, yet much less polished finished product for Fullbright who in years past had treated the process like a science.”
Twangville praised The Liar, saying, “John Fullbright was already known as a terrific songwriter, self-contained in his performances. He’s obviously opened up in the last 8 years and added a sense of casualness to his songs. That combination is a potent one.”
Earlier this week, the Austin-American Statesman premiered Fullbright’s latest single, “Stars,” with music writer Peter Blackstock saying it, “instantly struck me as an American classic…an extraordinary singer, Fullbright puts all of his heart and emotion into the simple yet cathartic lyrics.”
Uncut named The Liar their “Americana Album of the Month” in the recent November 2022 issue, praising his vocal might and “renewed lightness of spirit.”
More About The Liar: The Liar was recorded at Steve and Charlene Ripley’s farm-to-studio compound in northeastern Oklahoma. After Steve’s passing, Charlene flirted with the idea of selling the studio property, so Fullbright mobilized quickly to ensure he was able to record there before it changed hands. He threw together a band made up of, as Fullbright calls them, “the usual suspects.” Anyone fleetingly familiar with Oklahoma music will recognize the roster, which includes Jesse Aycock, Aaron Boehler, Paul Wilkes, Stephen Lee, and Paddy Ryan, all of whom are in more bands than seems possible. Along with a few more friends stopping in to lay down takes, they finished the songs and tracked the album with engineer Jason Weinheimer in a whirlwind four days.
“It was such a collaborative thing with some really cool voices,” Fullbright said, expressing surprise at the ease of the process. “It's just like playing music in Tulsa. Everybody kind of does whatever they do, and it works.”
The grab-and-go momentum landed Fullbright in the studio with some old songs (“Unlocked Doors” also appeared on 2009’s Live at the Blue Door), some new, and some unfinished, making his newfound trust in musical collaboration essential to the arrangements and reflected fully on the final album. The Liar, as a result, utilizes emotional and instrumental dynamics in ways Fullbright hasn’t allowed himself to explore fully before. There’s a noticeable slack here, an indulgent instrumental break there, and the general feeling that the tight-lipped John Fullbright who agonized over the writing process and then hesitated to talk about the meanings behind his songs in the past has eased up.
“What rules didn’t I have?” Fullbright says about his former songwriting self. “Even like, how many syllables were in a line, I had arbitrary rules for. So much of that has gone out the door, and I’m so much happier. It’s really just the idea that you don’t have to do this by yourself. It’s so much more fun to collaborate.”
The Liar Tracklist:
Bearden, 1645
Paranoid Heart
Stars
The Liar
Unlocked Doors
Where We Belong
Social Skills
Lucky
Blameless
Poster Child
Safe To Say
Gasoline
Catch John Fullbright on Tour:
September 30 - Oklahoma City, OK - Blue Door (sold out)
October 1 - Oklahoma City, OK - Blue Door (sold out)
October 2 - Tulsa, OK - Fassler Hall
October 7 - Dallas, TX - The Kessler Theater
October 8 - Austin, TX - C-Boys Heart & Soul
October 9 - The Woodlands, TX - Dosey Doe
October 13 - Kansas, OK - Bushyhead Farm Fall Festival
October 23 - Pittsburgh, KS - Mountain Stage
October 26 - Fayetteville, AR - George’s Majestic Lounge
October 27 - Little Rock, AR - Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack
October 28 - Memphis, TN - B-Side
October 29 - Nashville, TN - The Bluebird Cafe
October 30 - Decatur, GA - Eddie’s Attic
November 17 - New York, NY - Rockwood Music Hall
November 18 - Hamden, CT - Cellar on the Treadwell
November 20 - Fall River, MA - Narrows Center for the Arts
December 1 - Dallas, TX - Poor David’s Pub
December 2 - Austin, TX - The Saxon Pub
December 3 - La Grange, TX - The Bugle Boy
December 4 - Houston, TX - McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
December 5 - San Antonio, TX - Sam’s Burger Joint
