Fire Out Of Stone
3 Notches, 2019
9/10
Austin local Chuck Hawthorne sure did impress a lot of people with his 2015 album, Silver Line, and this follow up is sure to impress further with its themes around survival and healing that’s delivered with sincerity, timelessness and plenty of authenticity.
“Such Is Life (C’est La Vie)” starts the listen with Hawthorne’s compelling storytelling in a warm, rustic setting where strings, tambourines and female backing vocals make for an inviting opener, and “Amarillo Wind” follows with delicate beauty in a finger picking masterpiece.
In the middle, “Sara’s All The Way” unfolds with an aching folk-rock quality where Hawthorne’s deep pipes are especially expressive, while “Worthy Of The Sea” delivers a slow burning highlight of sparseness as dual gender vocals really add to the experience.
Near the end, “Broken Good” moves with an upbeat pace of jangly, feel good rootsy rock, and the country spirit of “Standing Alone” resonates with a moving, emotive delivery. Hawthorne ends the listen with “I Will Fight No More Forever”, a cover off of his late friend Richard Hobson’s posthumous record, where sophisticated and lush musicianship meet on a powerful and glorious exit to an incredible set of tunes.
A man that has lived a life full enough for two people, Hawthorne’s strong songwriting and rootsy, country and Americana influenced art touches on the human experience in thoughtful, articulate and inspiring ways that everyone would benefit from spending time with.
Travels well with: John Prine- The Missing Years; Richard Dobson- I Hear Singing