As well as being the current stage manager for Wynonna Judd, Ethan Samuel Brown is a Nashville, USA-based singer songwriter. He’s just come to my attention through his second album, Small Actors.
By Graeme Smith
Small Actors is nine tracks of theatrical folk rock and orchestrated Americana that give us scenes of modern America taking on topics such as Nashville’s 2020 Christmas Day bombing and the media reaction to it, and themes of patriotism, art, protest, and belonging.
It’s Ethan’s astute lyricism that immediately stands out in his new album, right from immersive opener Rothko. The storytelling in backed by folk rock that rises and falls beautifully between the verse and chorus while the vocals ooze with charm and character.
Salutation Waltz lightens things with a lilting and poetic moment while Rose Hill is acoustic and reflective. Being Blue is suitably melancholic, transporting us to the long night of the soul. It’s an early highlight thanks to its explosive guitar solo climax.
Five Dollar Cover and Nickel and Dimed bring with them some contemplative Americana. Am I American proves another highlight. “This song is a critique of conventional righteousness,” Ethan explains. It rips up the script of what has come before, giving us some hard, driving rock that’s appropriate for the primal scream of its lyrics. It’s all over in two and a half minutes but will stay with you much longer.
The album is then rounded off by the gentle and nostalgic Big Chief Boudreaux, the delicate and stirring When I Found You, and Tomorrow in Mind. The latter closes our journey through modern America with a smouldering, narrative-driven moment that lingers.
Ethan Samuel Brown makes the folk rock genre his own in this accomplished album. His penchant for storytelling is evident throughout, as is his keen musicianship. It’s too soon to tell, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we look back on it as one of the classics of our generation.
Small Actors was produced by Park McNally. It was recorded at Club Roar and Vital Electric Studios in Nashville with omnidirectional and ribbon mics to get us closer to the performance, capturing ambient sounds. It features Midland drummer John Wood, Parker Millsap’s bass player Michael Zimmermann, string arrangements by Jen Starsinic, Austin Hoke on cello, Lyidia Warren on harp, organ and Wurlitzer, and three-time Grammy winner saxophonist Jovan Quallo.
The album is out now and you can give it a listen below.
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