Description
Busted at the Pearly Gates is the fourth full-length studio album by the American singer and songwriter John Austin, independently released on Austin Echo Music in April 2002. A twenty-song-long album described as “part pop song-cycle, part roots-rock concept album.” The album was produced by Martin Kearns and features a truck load of national and Atlanta-based musicians, including Gerry Hansen, Tommy Dean, Tom Gray, David LaBruyere, Oliver Wood, Jeep, Mark Johnson, Tommy Vickery and Erin Echo.
So far in my humble opinion 2002 is the best year in a long time for independent releases. With the exception of the new project by The Benjamin Gate, all of the stuff that has come out of Nashville so far this year has been lame and uninspiring. This new album by John Austin is the exact opposite of that, this is virtually a perfect album. From the packaging to the overall sound to the sheer amount of songs found on this venture everything about it yells excitement and greatness. I can honestly say that this is my favorite album so far this year and it has been a very good year. There are twenty songs here and each one of them is a gem, there isn’t a clunker in the bunch.
Joining John as usual is vocalist Erin Echo, who as usual is absolutely superb. To list all of the players on this project would take up the rest of the review but let me just say that the musicians listed in the credits reads like a who’s who of some of the best players in independent music. The majority of the album was recorded, mixed and produced under the watchful eye of Martin Kearns in Atlanta for Serious Hip Productions. The album artwork was handled by Juli Kearns in a style reminiscent of Jimmy Abegg or to a certain extent the late Rev. Howard Finster. The art portion of the album totally complements the sonic portion. It has been ten years since the release of John’s first album The Embarrassing Young and that ten years has brought about a sense of maturity and confidence which becomes more and more evident with each release.
Right now I would tend to say that my favorite cuts on the album are «Cool Morning», «Love Preys», and «East Virginia Blue». If you are not familiar with John’s work this is the perfect way to start, if you are already a fan, then by all means add this one to your collection. [Chris MacIntosh, The Phantom Tollbooth, July 2002]
John Austin’s ‘Busted at the Pearly Gates’ is a twenty-song-long album that deserves a complete and focused listen. It’s light, cheerful and happy opening tracks lead to more melancholy moments and somber lyrics at the album’s conclusion. Though this desultory style was a bit distractive at first, the songs overall have an energetic and seductive quality that provide good musical company. John Austin seems to easily sing about life’s lessons or stories of his own experiences, though the album does not end up being heavily personal in nature. A newcomer will be able to find some way to relate to many songs in this collection and will be hearing his bewitching tunes long after the music has stopped.
The peppy, opening tune «Roll the Stone Away» kept my attention and made me come back for another listen. It rolled into «Cool Morning», «Your Generation» and other bright and happy tunes on most of the tracks. «These Things Take Time» is a thoughtful and meaningful tune done in a jazzy blues style, which carries through to a few other tracks. Austin adds some country flair in «Lost Little Gumdrop» and «Good Money». His ability to personify everyday things like misery, is totally engaging in a Buffet-style tune called «Misery Loves Company».
Not obvious at first, he took a serious song entitled «Son of a Gun» and revisited it three different times on three different tracks on the CD! One of these totally dissolved into a super tune called «Love Preys» which became one of my favorites – interesting technique.
There is such imagery drawn into Austin’s songs that some of the music on this disc could successfully accompany any number of movies with rich scenery and a car traveling on an open stretch of highway. The lyrics are deep and interesting, telling stories of love, death, and life’s philosophies, which may be why television and the movies strike me as other outlets for this hopefully growing talent. [Meg Tarantella, Left off the Dial]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/busted-at-the-pearly-gates/718564860)
CD tracklist:
01. Roll the Stone Away – 4:25
02. Cool Morning – 3:49
03. Your Generation – 4:05
04. Moonflowers – 4:16
05. These Things Take Time – 3:31
06. Yellow Moon – 5:18
07. Daylight – 4:43
08. Son of a Gun #1 – 1:25
09. Good Money – 3:05
10. I Don’t Know You – 3:20
11. Misery Loves Company – 3:28
12. Little Lost Gumdrop – 4:15
13. Son of a Gun #2 – 0:55
14. Love Preys – 4:17
15. Gone For Good – 3:38
16. Face To Face – 4:10
17. Moment of Silence – 4:46
18. Son of a Gun #3 – 1:05
19. East Virginia Blue – 3:38
20. Old Perfume – 3:57
Note: Available at Bandcamp: https://johnaustin.bandcamp.com/album/busted-at-the-pearly-gates
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