Let All Who Will
Friends At Work, 2023
8/10
The Los Angeles singer-songwriter Chris Pierce brings a large cast to these powerful songs that touch on pain, sorrow, frustration, joy and hope with his unique brand of Americana.
“Batten Down The Hatches” starts the listen with Ginger Murphy’s graceful cello and Michael Jerome’s proficient drumming complementing Pierce’s expressive voice and fluid acoustic guitar, and “45 Jukebox” follows with plenty of rhythm thanks to Deron Johnson’s playful keys and playful bass that suits the lively, soulful climate.
Further along, “Tulsa Town” uses Dave Palmer’s strategic piano amid Doug Pettibone and Kelvin Holly’s cautious guitars for the intimate moment, while “Time Bomb” places Charles Jones behind Hammond B3 and Sunny War on lead vocals and acoustic guitar for the melodic and folk influenced album highlight.
“We Can Always Come Back To This” arrives near the end, and benefits much from Kaveh Rastegar’s precise bass, as Pierce gets poetic and dreamy, and “Ain’t No Better” exits with an initially bare presence that builds into a soaring, passionate, gospel finish that uses Charlie Jones, Jessica Childress and Maiya Sykes’ emotive backing vocals.
Somewhat of a protest album at its core, Pierce meshes folk, soul and blues for a listen that’s all substance and touches on the unjust realities of being Black in America.
Travels well with: Cinder Well- Cadence; Sunny War- Anarchist Gospel