
Since his critically acclaimed album Songs, the public at large has not heard much from John Fullbright. Eight years seems unthinkable for someone with so much hype—including a GRAMMY nod, an Americana Music Association Emerging Artist nomination and awards from ASCAP and the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame—surrounding his early career. On September 30, Fullbright is set to end the dry spell with the release of his new LP, The Liar, opening up his newfound trust in musical collaboration for the world to hear. (John Fullbright, 2022)
Fullbright released the first taste of The Liar with the album’s ever-developing second track. “Paranoid Heart” starts out as a plaintive little folk song and explodes into a memorable, Petty-esque rocker bolstered by drummer Paddy Ryan and Jesse Aycock’s just-unhinged-enough slide guitar solo. “Paranoid Heart” is an indicator of what is to come from Fullbright’s newly minted, community-driven output. Fans can hear “Paranoid Heart” now and pre-order or pre-save The Liar ahead of its September 30 release via Blue Dirt Records and Thirty Tigers.
The Liar was recorded at Steve and Charlene Ripley’s farm-to-studio compound in northeastern Oklahoma. After Steve’s passing, Charlene flirted with the idea of selling the studio property, so Fullbright quickly mobilized to make sure he was able to record there before it changed hands. He threw together a band made up of, as Fullbright calls them, “the usual suspects.” Anyone vaguely familiar with Oklahoma music will recognize the roster, which includes Jesse Aycock, Aaron Boehler, Paul Wilkes, Stephen Lee, and Paddy Ryan, all of whom are in more bands than seems possible. Along with a few more friends stopping in to lay down takes, they finished the songs and tracked the album with engineer Jason Weinheimer in a whirlwind four days.
The grab-and-go momentum landed Fullbright in the studio with some old songs (“Unlocked Doors” also appeared in 2009’s Live at the Blue Door), some new, and some unfinished, making his newfound trust in musical collaboration essential to the arrangements and reflected fully on the final album. The Liar, as a result, utilizes emotional and instrumental dynamics in ways Fullbright has not allowed himself to fully explore before. There is a noticeable slack here, an indulgent instrumental break there, and the general feeling that the tight-lipped John Fullbright who agonized over the writing process and then hesitated to talk about the meanings behind his songs in the past has eased up.
The Liar track list:
1. Bearden, 1645
2. Paranoid Heart
3. Stars
4. The Liar
5. Unlocked Doors
6. Where We Belong
7. Social Skills
8. Lucky
9. Blameless
10. Poster Child
11. Safe To Say
12. Gasoline
Catch John Fullbright on tour:
August 26 – Muskogee, OK – Hatbox Field
August 27 – Enid, OK – Park Street Palooza
September 3 – Martinsville, OH – Nowhere Else Festival
September 8 – Tahlequah, OK – Diamond Head Resort
September 25 – Glen Ellen, CA – Jack London State Park
September 30 – Oklahoma City, OK – Blue Door
October 1 – Oklahoma City, OK – Blue Door
October 2 – Tulsa, OK – Fassler Hall
October 8 – Austin, TX – C-Boys Heart & Soul
October 9 – The Woodlands, TX – Dosey Doe
October 13 – Kansas, OK – Bushyhead Farm Fall Festival
October 23 – Pittsburgh, KS – Mountain Stage
days
hours minutes seconds
until
The Liar release date

