Country Shade
Self-Released, 2020
8/10
A rising singer-songwriter from Austin, Texas, John Baumann returns with a 3rd album, where his observations on love, friends, relationships and time surround cautious and thoughtful country influenced sounds.
The album starts soft with the atmospheric “The Country Doesn’t Sound The Same”, as Baumann’s vocals emit warmth amid the aching pedal steel and picked acoustic guitar, and “Next Ride Around The Sun” complements the mood with flowing melodies in the rootsy, Americana setting that benefits greatly from a mellotron.
At the halfway point, “If You Really Love Someone” is full of sincerity in the careful, wise love song, while “Sunday Morning Going Up” recruits some folk-rock qualities to the playful story telling. “Second Wind”, the album highlight, then merges grit and beauty in a perfect rural rocker.
“Flight Anxiety” and “Grandfather’s Grandson” bookend the listen, where the former offers a piano friendly, rock’n’roll gem, and the latter resides amid sublime balladry.
Baumann is also a member of The Panhandlers, but let’s hope he still finds plenty of time for solo work, as Country Shade is the sort of humble, honest and striking song craft the world always needs more of.
Travels well with: Birds Of Chicago- Love In Wartime; Tessy Lou Williams- Tessy Lou Williams