The title of Ethan Samuel Brown’s latest, Small Actors, is not simply a tossed-out album moniker. Rather, it serves as a blueprint of sorts for the characters that take the stage in various acts throughout the 10-track LP. From a narrator who questions their own patriotism in “Am I American?” to a cynical character walking through the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the fantastic single “Rothko,” Brown sets up nearly a dozen disparate characters simply trying to make it through life in modern times.
On the first single, “Am I American,” inspired by the Nashville’s 2020 Christmas Day bombing, Brown’s fuzzed out first person vocals compete against a grinding guitar questioning what it means to be a citizen of this country that seems to be boiling over with paranoia and partisan divide. It also serves as a prime example of Brown’s ability to switch in and out of genres in the span of just 10 tracks, at times coming off like a folkie, while other times diving deep into pop music and Americana, excelling just about every time. The delicate piano and refined vocals on “Salutation Waltz” are powerful, as is “Being Blue,” another piano ballad that has the Kentucky native looking back at living in Nashville for a decade. The album closer, “Tomorrow In Mind,” is another beautifully soft moment that has Brown singing over acoustic guitar and a lonely cello line.
Along with his solo work, Brown has worked as a concert promoter, talent buyer, audio engineer, and most recently as stage manager for Wynona Judd. “I hope the overall message of Small Actors resonates with any artist struggling with their place in the world,” he says. “I’ve stood sidestage in arenas and felt less from the performance than I did listening to the piano player in the hotel bar later that evening. Do the work. It’s important.” With Small Actors, Brown has written an album of songs that would work on either of those stages.
