Pete Yorn – The Hard Way (Shelly)
24 August 2024
Peter Yorn published since “Music for the morning after” (Columbia, 2001) and released new records about every three years. In the 15 years he has released many strong “full band” records, including “Back and forth” (Sony, 2009), “Allocation of time” (Boyletown, 2016), “Building superintendent” (Shelly, 2019) and “Hawaii” (Shelly 2022). If you listen to his music for a while, you’ll realize that he’s had quite a career and solid songwriting is his forte. His subdued vocals complement his ballads and are a counterbalance to his uptempo rockers.
“The hard way”also on Shelly, is not as big a departure as it might seem on first listen. Yes, you’ll notice the absence of drums and electric guitars on most tracks, but you might not miss them in the slightest. In fact, the album’s sparseness is beautifully reflected by the cover photography, featuring black and white images of the Western US (courtesy of wife Beth). And like the desert Southwest depicted on the cover, this record is far from sparse, but incredibly rich if you just give it your full attention. Can anyone do that these days?
This country folk direction is nothing new for Pete; see the “Western (EP)” (Self-released, 2006). In fact, most of his albums contain acoustic songs, and Pete’s naturally raspy, smooth vocals seem to take on a slight Southern accent (South Jersey?) without sounding cartoonish.
“The hard way” is only eight tracks and 25 minutes, making it feel cozy and precious. The album is even stronger when played after the last or second-to-last album. It’s as if Pete played a full band show of these records and then played a charming, dimly lit, unplugged “Hard Way” affair at a fan’s house at midnight. Done this way, the record fits even better into the framework of Pete’s now extensive discography.
Featuring a lavish production by Grammy-winning producer and friend, Josh GudwinPete has revealed that this record wouldn’t exist without him. The album’s title track is classic Pete acoustic with a nice synth addition that creates a bigger, symphonic sound. The same goes for “Different Roads.” “Someday, Someday” (released as a single in January and co-written with Gudwin) is definitely one of the strongest songs on the LP. Even Pete, who is always soft-spoken and modest, seems to have a more confident voice here.
Pete is on tour in the US and begins headlining XPonential Fest on September 20th.
Left
