Josh T Pearson: Last of the Country Gentlemen – review

Texan Josh T Pearson, once of apocalyptic trio Lift to Experience, has more recently played ghost at the feast at niche altrock festivals, terrifying indie kids with sets of brooding country-noir. If anything, this terrific solo debut – recorded over two nights – ramps up the intensity; Pearson's anguished croon and acoustic go largely unadorned as he picks over relationships in their death throes. Easy listening it certainly isn't – "Woman When I've Raised Hell" captures the self-justifying snarl of an aggressive, delusional drunk – but Pearson stares out the abyss with a remarkably clear eye, and the overall effect is more of catharsis than desolation.