Product Description
PAUL THORN - LIFE IS JUST A VAPOR
PAUL THORN
Life Is Just A Vapor
Thirty Tigers
“Tough times don’t last, tough people do,” Paul Thorn announces on his latest release, Life Is Just A Vapor. Thorn is one of those survivors, an ex-boxer turned troubadour who delivers his message in a southern drawl reminiscent of Randy Newman coupled with the lyrical talents of John Hiatt.
Thorn grew up singing in church in Tupelo, MS, under the guidance of his dad, a Pentecostal minister, and threads of his celestial upbringing still linger in his music. But Thorn was no choirboy, and his rebellious spirit still shines through his work. Thorn always surrounds himself with a hard rockin’ bar band to help him punch his way through a setlist or a studio session. His road band members are all present here: drummer Jeff Perkins, guitarist Chris Simmons, keyboardist Michael Graham, and bassist Ralph Friedrichsen. This time out he enlists the help of Joe Bonamassa (on “I’m Just Waiting”) and Luther Dickenson (on “Geraldine And Rickey”). Ex- Gregg Allman hornmen Art Edmaiston on saxophone and Marc Franklin on trumpet deliver Memphis horns style punch as well.
There’s a back story to the creation of the wistful title cut. After s show one evening, John Prine invited Thorn up to his hotel suite to eat ice cream, an invitation Thorn was so proud of that he posted an account of the incident on Facebook. The next morning, Thorn’s manager got a call from Prine’s manager to take the post down immediately, telling him that Prine was a severe diabetic, and his wife was gonna kill him for eating ice cream. So, Thorn concludes, “Life is just a vapor, let’s live it while we can.”
“Geraldine And Ricky” sounds like a swampy Tony Joe White tune, a tale of a puppet master (Geraldine) doing the Lord’s work through ventriloquism until she discovered that Ricky, her wooden companion, didn’t have a soul. Tossing him in the trashcan, she hooks up with a dying rich man. But karma prevails, a nice lady picks up Ricky out of the garbage, gives him love and a place to crash while Geraldine’s hair falls out and she goes insane.
Bonamassa adds his fiery licks to the melancholy ballad “I’m Just Waiting,” about a lover hanging around waiting for his beloved to break his heart, again. “Wait” is vintage Thorn, with lyrics as biting as John Haitt’s and as wry as Thorn’s mentor John Prine: “Don’t do it all on the first date/Leave a little something on the plate -Wait,”
Thorn advises on the subject of partner hunting. “Don’t move too fast/if you want the kind of love that’ll last.” Thorn wins again, another knockout punch from a seasoned champ.
– Grant Britt