AMERICANA Album of the month

IT’S been a frustratingly long while since we last heard from John Fullbright. 2012’s Grammy-nominated From The Ground Up was followed a couple of years later by the equally superlative Songs, after which he appeared to lose a little momentum. He hasn’t been entirely inactive though. Fullbright uprooted from rural Oklahoma to Tulsa, where he alternated between fronting his own band and playing as a sideman, while also turning his hand to production for the likes of American Aquarium.

Now he’s finally returned to the studio, but is keen to point out that The Liar is a team effort. Various Tulsa residents duly act as backing band here, built around the core of guitarist Jesse Aycock, bass player Aaron Boehler and drummer Paddy Ryan. In turn, this seems to have loosened up Fullbright’s songwriting, forgoing the stately economy of the past for something altogether more expansive. There’s a renewed lightness of spirit, too: “Social Skills” is a waggish take on stage fright and general awkwardness; the masterly “Bearden, 1645” chips away at the fourth wall by deconstructing the songwriter’s art and its restorative properties.

Thankfully, the solitary wolf of and hasn’t quite disappeared. “Stars” finds Fullbright alone at the piano, contemplating God, the cosmos and the fundamentals of love, his voice arcing towards the heavens. It’s a fabulous moment, echoed on another standout that showcases his vocal might: “Safe To Say”. Here, what begins as a quiet piano ballad gradually becomes the kind of spacious soul-stirrer associated with Leon Russell, with Fullbright (who performed at Russell’s funeral service in 2016) joined by a rising gospel choir. By contrast, “Poster Child” feels like a Southern field holler by way of New Orleans, while “Where We Belong” is old-time hillbilly with a honky-tonk heart. “”, sings Fullbright, as if teasing us with the prospect of another prolonged absence. Let’s sincerely hope he’s back for good now.