Thank The Lord… It’s The Pink Stones
Normaltown, 2025
9/10
Listen to Thank The Lord… It’s The Pink Stones
The Athens country rockers, The Pink Stones, bring their ‘60s nods into these cosmic country, folk, bluegrass, soul, and psychedelic rock fueled tracks.
The thick twang and hazy approach of “Thank The Lord” starts with Caleb Boese’s warm pedal steel and Curtis Callis playful banjo adding much to the rich climate, and “Too Busy” follows with front man Hunter Pinkston’s expressive voice and cozy acoustic guitar alongside Michael Alexander’s crisp drums via the rootsy mood.
Moving into the middle, the heartbreaking “If I Can’t Win (With You)” benefits from Libby Weitnauer’s fiddle and strings, as the emotive spirit abruptly picks up the pace into dance friendly fun, while “Hard To Kill” place Neil Golden on keys and Adam Wayton on bass to complement Pinkston’s heartfelt storytelling.
“Start With Your Name” and “Pile Of Memories” exit the listen. The former enlists Gideon Johnston’s percussion and harmony vocals for the textured and retro bout, and the latter is just Pinkston’s voice, mandolin, bass and acoustic guitar in an intimate and touching finish.
An effort that shows the band maturing, there’s definitely more of a delicate angle to these songs than their earlier work, but it’s no less interesting and in fact brings a new dimension to one of the more interesting outfits in today’s country scene.
Travels well with: T. Hardy Morris- The Digital Age Of Rome; Boulevards- Electric Cowboy: Born In Carolina Mud