Pierce's last album 'Everything Matters' is one of the very best discs we carry - it was reviewed on our first every mailer, and almost 3 years on it's a disc we still play regularly. 'State of Grace' certainly has a lot to live up to……
He is an understated singer/songwriter, his easy delivery and sweet melodies are the perfect foil for the lyrics - succinct yet incredibly detailed and full of beautiful images. The imagery is of paramount importance to this disc, there is a strong sense of the American South across these 12 songs, the themes of Southern culture, childhood memories, and faith run strong throughout. This is beautifully demonstrated on 'Georgia Moon', a brilliant track with a real sense of place and time, the lyrics read like poetry..
'In a confederate cemetery, a sentry stood on high,
Expressionless despite a fuselage of fireflies
On the graves of our Grandfathers, where the grass is long and cool
It was where we laid our blanket down, just like a flag of truth'
Musically, this is mainly acoustic based contemporary folk, it flirts with blues and rock in places (as you might expect), and this adds to the overall feel of the disc - it's an album that feels contemporary and lived in, on first listen the imagery, sentiments and music all have a familiar feel.
The line-up list musicians such as Tim O'Brien, Colin Linden, Clive Gregson and Stuart Duncan, but it's all so wonderfully produced the listener's attention goes to atmosphere and feel, rather than the mechanics of the instrumentation.
In an exceptional year for discs, this stands out as one of the best, and in many respects this has charms no other album comes close to matching. A big favourite.

£13.49