[rating=4.00]
Poor Rich Folk lead singer/songwriter, Luke Brawner worked for over a year researching and writing his debut solo album, Flannelgraph Sessions LP. The end result is a concept album that involved Brawner researching and visiting locations, stories, and characters of the Bible in an attempt to write songs from those perspectives and offer a fresh take on the Old Testament stories and people.
Flannelgraph Sessions is a combination of folk, Americana, and bluegrass complete with banjos, handclaps and Brawner’s brilliantly poetic lyrics. “Farewell Discourse” starts the album with quiet banjo plucking and repetitive refrain that is powerful despite the subtleness. Tracks like rootsy funk of “Rock in the Wilderness” and folky two-step of “Keeper” highlight the versatility of Brawner’s influences and his ability to breathe new life into stories from over 3,000 years ago. Achingly beautiful, “My Living Water”, and “Hosea’s Song” show a mellower side while actually increasing the intensity due to the emotional lyrical content and musical crescendos. The bluegrassy stomp of “The Land Between” features Derek Webb on vocals and closes the album out with the standout track. Luke Brawner’s Flannelgraph Sessions LP is an uplifting roots record wonderfully put together for the purpose of inspiring hope and breathing life into words and stories with divine inspiration.
