Jack Pearson

Thankful

Candlefly Records

The world needs more artists like Jack Pearson, happy to share this kind of passion through his stunning gift of music. Thankful contains a set of spiritually rooted and heavenly bound songs that may surprise some but should inspire many more.

Jack Pearson embodies the proverbial phrase, “a guitarist’s guitarist.” He was a member of The Allman Brothers Band from 1997 to 1999, was long on the faculty of the W.C. Handy Music Camp at the University of North Alabama, and has opened shows for, and played with, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Joe Bonamassa, and so many others. As a first call session guitarist, Pearson has graced countless albums by artists ranging from Jimmy Buffett to Bobby “Blue” Bland.

The twelve songs on Thankful were recorded as Pearson also began releasing a series of what turned out to be eleven fully original, primarily acoustic albums of his string virtuosity on guitar, ukulele, banjo, and mandolin. They, and now Thankful, stand tall next to his blues-based and electrified, rocking albums. The soft-spoken and humble gentleman that he is, Pearson never sets out to impress, but always ends up doing just that in spades. Here, he plays all the instruments, and sings all the parts, and you would never know it by the cohesiveness of the music.

“Sign of the Times” offers one very funky taste of Pearson’s electric blues. In it, he plays slippery slide guitar while delivering the message to “stay on the straight and narrow,” shaking off all the signs of these times while waiting for the most important sign. “I Am His” features soul surrendering through gentle, spare plucking and natural, emotional voice. “It’s All About You” glides on a joyful, gospel-drenched soul melody that Pearson sings his heart out over, accentuating his vocal with his own layered background harmonies that I had to make sure was not a classic Nashville Baptist group such as the Fairfield Four. Stunning!

In “Keep on Praying and Keep on a Going,” Pearson speaks volumes through stout, striking banjo notes. He sings the gentle ballad “Comfort in His Name” as pure soul baring emotion and “Just Believe” as a pleading, and a pledge. The variety engages the listener without ever being “preachy.” Thankful can be enjoyed in most any setting, but is ideal on a quiet, reflective Sunday morning. As I complete this review of Thankful on just such a Father’s Day dawn, Pearson will be waking up thankful, having just played his first concert in over four years, an event that featured guests such as Tommy Emmanuel and Lee Roy Parnell. All so appropriate.

Tom Clarke for MAS

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