Eclectic mix of genres and self-critical reflections following traumatic times.
Nashville’s celebrated guitarist and singer-songwriter Sean Thompson released his first album ‘Weird Ears’ in 2022. That was very much a country record in which he demonstrated his impeccable guitar-picking skills, drawing comparisons with the likes of Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia. Midway through that album came the lyric-free track ‘Instrumental Health’ and on ‘Head In The Sand’ he includes another instrumental at the same point, ‘Fizz’ being a revolving multi-layered mix of guitars, pedal steel, bass, drums and synths. Expressing himself through his playing, Thompson allows the arrangement to flow freely, which is how he approached the lyrics behind this collection of songs.
Coinciding with a traumatic time in his life, the writing took its own course, allowing unfettered access to the emotions felt from the loss of his mother, a fractured relationship and the loss of his dog. With no time to sit and ponder while playing 200 shows a year, Thompson threw himself a lifeline, forcing himself to look up and see what was happening around him.
A cocktail of psychedelia, country and jazz-funk, there’s a sophistication to the arrangements and instrumentation. Opening with the title-track ‘Head In The Sand’ Thompson admonishes his own complacency, establishing the album’s introspective and self-critical lyrics. As if to exorcise these feelings, the band lets rip in the one-take live recording of ‘Storm’s Coming Tonight’ which opens as a bluesy shuffle before launching into free-form jazz-funk.
‘Riding In The Van’ features another Frank Zappa-like improvisation while there’s a Grateful Dead influence at work on ‘Saying The Quiet Part Out Loud’. Country-rock lovers will enjoy ‘New Memories’ and ‘Taste of Tennessee’, songs where Thompson’s light and wistful voice is at its best.
Sean Thompson played in the UK in 2023 (reviewed here) alongside singer-songwriter Erin Rae and Romford-born and bred pedal steel guitarist Spencer Cullum and both are present on this album, which was recorded at Nashville’s Huge Planet Studios. They’re joined by co-producer Jake Davis, Jo Schornikow on keys, bassists Alec O’Connell and Ryan Jennings, drummer Ben Parks, guitarist Jack Quiggins and Michael Ruth on synths. There’s no doubting that Thompson has been able to call upon some fine musicians, making the album a pleasurable experience for discerning ears, whether weird or otherwise.
